Sealed By Horseshoes
by Sandylee007
Summary: Naruto needs a break from his nightmarish life, so he goes to a ranch named Konoha to calm his nerves. But relaxation is quite hard to get when he meets Sasuke, mysterious foster son of the ranch’s owner. AU YAOI NaruSasu
1. Prologue

A/N: Heh, here I thought I wouldn't be starting out a new fic anymore this year. But then THIS idea got stuck into my head, and I just couldn't resist the temptation. So… (motions helplessly with hands)

Without any further babblings, let's go, shall we? I really hope you'll like this lil' start out!

(Title may change, btw.)

WARNINGS: YAOI, dark themes.

DISCLAIMER: Me, OWN something like Naruto?! Oh please…! (howls with laughter until someone shows up with medication)

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto had always hated doctors and being poked around. That was rather unfortunate, for as fate would have it, he was bound to meet his psychiatrist – Jiraiya – several times a week. Luckily enough he'd from quite early on decided that he liked the man – medication, prying questions and other unpleasant things notwithstanding.

Today, however, he found himself wishing from the bottom of his heart that he could've been anywhere else in the world but in the man's office.

He winced when the man's finger brushed the dark, very painful bruise decorating his left eye. " Hey, stop that!" he commanded in a whine like voice. " That frigging hurts, okay?"

" Sorry, Naruto." The man made some notes, then glanced at him with a sympathy filled expression. " So… Another tough day, I see."

He looked downwards, hoping that the lump in his throat couldn't be seen from his eyes. " Yeah", he muttered, finding his eyes narrowing uncharacteristically. " Kabuto and his worshippers are idiots."

Jiraiya smiled a little, ruffling his hair. " That much we can agree on." The man then got up from his chair, heading towards the door. " I'll go and talk to Iruka for a bit, okay?"

Hard as he tried, he couldn't be sure if the grin appearing to his face was faked or not. " Bring in some ramen when you come back, please?"

The man snorted, still smiling. " Don't push your luck, brat." The eyes looking into his were soft, though there seemed to be a storm hiding inside them. " I'll be back in a sec."

As soon as he was left alone, his expression faltered. He winced at the pain surging everywhere inside him, and fought the urge to sob.

' _Freak_', they'd called him.

He wrapped his arms tightly around himself and shuddered, feeling very cold.

He wasn't scared of pain and bruises, of being stared at – those, he'd grown well used to. But he was terrified by the fact that he was slowly starting to believe what they were calling him.

A soul tear slipped to his damaged cheek.

* * *

CHAPTER 1: Prologue

* * *

While sitting in a small waiting room outside Jiraiya's office, Iruka found his thoughts whirring around in a huge mess. He didn't even realize that he was pacing around constantly while waiting, heavy feeling sitting on top of his chest.

It was now seven years from when he'd adopted Naruto. Manager of the boy's orphanage had declared the schizophrenic child a lost cause, but he'd immediately known better. Naruto had been practically thrown into his arms, and for a while – with medication and therapy working their magic, and the boy bonding eagerly with both him and his wife Shizune – he'd been dead set he'd made the right decision. But then, problems had started. One of the kids from Naruto's school, such the boy had been naïve enough to trust with all his heart, had found out about the boy's illness, and word spread quickly. It was a matter of days before _everyone_ knew, and Naruto's hell on earth had begun. Since then there'd been so many bruises and beatings that he hadn't even wanted to count them for the longest time.

A shuddering breath escaped him.

Naruto was strong – most likely the strongest kid he knew. But he was afraid the boy's limits were dangerously close to being crossed.

" Iruka?" He jumped a bit with startle, then turned around towards Jiraiya's voice. The man's expression told that the older knew exactly what he was going through. " I talked to him. He's pretty shaken."

He nodded, turning his gaze towards the window. His heart wrenched when he saw two teenagers, probably pretty close to Naruto's age, fooling around in a park spreading below, without a care in the world.

" What should I do?" he spoke before even registering the words coming. He rubbed his eyes to ease the itching that'd suddenly appeared into them. " Those kids… They'll rip him apart, he's already barely hanging in there. What can I do for him?"

Jiraiya mused for a while before speaking. " You know… There's this place – a ranch named Konoha. A lot of horses, nature and relaxation. It's done miracles to a lot of kids just like Naruto. If you want me to, I can enroll Naruto to a summer camp that lasts for two months."

Hope swelled in his chest while he met the man's gaze. He was speechless for a moment before faint voice came. " I'll have to talk to Naruto, but I think he'll have nothing against it." For the very first time that day he smiled, albeit feebly. " Thank you."

Jiraiya waved a hand. " No problem. I'll call Kakashi today and tell him you're coming."

He felt very cold all of a sudden, and a great deal of color escaped from his face. " Kakashi?" he sputtered, feeling as though he'd been choking on his breath. " As in… Kakashi Hatake?"

Jiraiya nodded. " That's right." The man frowned. " Are you okay?"

He nodded again, his mind drifting million miles away and the coldness inside intensifying still. " Yeah…"

Jiraiya returned the gesture slowly, approaching his office slowly. " I'll send Naruto out so you can go home."

He didn't even hear those words.

He swallowed thickly while his gaze found the window again, this time darting towards clouds.

_I hope I'm not making a huge mistake…_

* * *

Naruto had never been outside his home city before. That's why his insides were bristling with excitement when he sat in Iruka's car two weeks later, on his way towards Konoha. Even the five hours' drive hadn't managed to ruin his mood.

" I bet it's gonna be awesome!" he declared. " I've never even seen a horse before." His gaze then swept towards Iruka, whose eyes were firmly darted to the road ahead. " I'll miss you a lot, though."

For the first time in two weeks, his foster father gave him a genuine smile. " I know", the man stated in an unnaturally soft voice. " And I'll miss you, too." Something he would've in any other occasion recognized as startle and nervousness crossed by the brunette's face while the man braked. " Looks like we're finally there."

His heart jumping with excitement, he looked out of the car's window and gasped loudly. " Holy damn…!"

Right before them, behind a huge wooden gate that had name 'Konoha' on top of it, spread miles and miles of fencing, green grass, tiny paths and stables. In the middle of all else stood a huge, beautiful old mansion.

_This place is a paradise!_

" I should get going." Iruka's voice barely reached him. In his turmoil, he didn't manage to notice how fidgety the man was, clearly in a hurry to get away. " I've got a mountain of exams to go through before tomorrow."

" 'K." In the spur of a moment he hugged the man tightly, feeling something tickling his throat and eyes. " I'll call you as soon as they let me, 'k?"

" I know." Iruka's eyes were slightly firm when they parted a little. " Be good, and remember to take your pills, okay?"

He rolled his eyes. " Geez, I'm not a kid anymore!" A wide grin spreading, he waved his hand and crawled out of the car, then took his huge bag from the backseat. " I'll see you in two months!"

Iruka also waved a hand, trying to smile a bit.

For some moments he watched while the car sped off, then turned around and smirked once more, forgetting all fear and nervousness. This was the greatest adventure he'd ever been on, far away from reality. He'd definitely take all joy possible out of this.

With that determined thought he started to make his way towards the mansion, not even noticing how close he was to a particularly thick wooden fence that had barbwire strengthening it.

He made about ten steps before stopping with a frown, ears sharpening to an odd sound approaching. It was almost like… thunder.

_What the…?!_

He never managed to finish that thought before his gaze flew to side, towards the fence, and his heart jumped with startle and excitement. For there, storming towards him, was a huge, dark brown stallion. Just before it would've collided with the fence the horse stopped, emitting a deafeningly loud neigh and moving its head up and down.

He chuckled, then reached out a hand and stroked the horse's muzzle, not even realizing the potential danger. The animal shivered and gazed at him with distrusting eyes, but didn't run. " You're a lively one, aren't you?" he mused out loud. " I bet that fence is driving you crazy."

The horse neighed again, as though giving its accord.

" Holy shit!" Boy's bewildered voice managed to catch him so off guard that he jumped before his gaze whipped to side again. The horse was also startled and sprinted away, making sounds of fury. Stood about four steps away from him was a boy at about his age with dark eyes and brown hair on a messy ponytail. The teen had a wheelbarrow full of hey in his hold. " How the hell did you do that without getting your hand bitten off?!"

He blinked dubiously. " I just… stroked it. What's the big deal about it?"

" That animal is seriously disturbed – so far it's kicked and bitten everyone but one going closer than five steps away from it." The brunette nodded towards the mansion. " The only one who can handle it is Uchiha Sasuke, Kakashi's foster son."

He blinked owlishly again, feeling chills upon realizing just how much danger he'd been in. " Oh. I guess I'm a special case, then." Slowly overcoming mild shock, he grinned and outstretched a hand. " Uzumaki Naruto."

" Aa, the new guy! Welcome!" The boy wiped a hand to his green vest before taking his. " Shikamaru Nara. I'll be working here for the summer."  
His eyes widened just a bit with near excitement. " Wow! I bet it's cool to spend the whole summer here."

Shikamaru snorted. " Depends on your definition of 'cool'."

He chuckled. They both then turned their heads upon hearing rapidly approaching set of canter steps. His heart had never moved quite the way it did when he noticed the arrival.

Sitting in perfect balance on a rather large, caramel shaded horse's back was a boy a distant part of him immediately found attractive with wildly cut black hair and dark eyes, hands moving quite casually to control the animal. The horse stopped obediently and with remarkable accuracy right beside them. " Nara, there's a new horse incoming after lunch. I want you to take a look at it with me." The boy's eccentric eyes then moved to him. " I assume you're the new arrival."

He nodded, unable to do anything else for a moment. " Yup."

" Kakashi wants to see you." No 'welcome' or introductions, no pleasantries whatsoever. The boy then kicked the horse's sides lightly, and it started to all but fly away. " I'm expecting you both to show up for the lunch in an hour."

He blinked, not sure if he wanted to stick his tongue out at the distancing back or laugh. " Who the heck was that guy?"

" _That_ would be Sasuke", Shikamaru stated in a voice that was between dry and amused. " As charming and sociable as usual."

He snorted, although this strangest shudder appeared into his chest and his stomach felt funny. " What a bastard. I can see why that devil horse likes him."

Shikamaru chuckled. " Let's go – Kakashi's never gonna let me live it down if I'm done with morning choirs too late again. And you've got signing in to do."

He nodded somewhat numbly, starting to follow. After a couple of steps, however, he found himself stopping for a moment and peering over his shoulder towards Sasuke's rapidly retreating back. That shudder appeared again, stronger than ever, and he felt unnaturally hot.

Groaning inwardly, he forced himself into turning around and starting to walk away. At that moment, only thing was sure to him.

This would be _very_ hectic two months.

* * *

TBC??

* * *

A/N: So, whadda ya say – should I give this a go?

Just to warn you before you make up your minds… I don't think I'll be able to start TRULY updating this until another project of mine is through, so the updates may turn out to be agonizingly slow. Do you find this worth taking that risk?

PLEASE, do review!

Hugs and chocolate for reading! Peace out!


	2. Welcome To The Planet

A/N: Well, since you seem curious to see exactly where I'm taking this odd little piece… (grins from ear to ear)

First of all, thank you from the very bottom of my heart for all those heart warming reviews! (HUUUGS) You do realize that this second chapter would've NEVER showed up without you, right? (To those who reviewed anonymously, your responses can be found from underneath the chappy.)

Awkay, seeing as it's already taken me far too long to get this chapter done, let's go, yeah? I REALLY hope you'll have a nice ride!

(**As for chapter titles**: For this story, all chapter titles come from "Dare you to move" by Switchfoot. Heh, I just love that song.)

* * *

Kakashi had been living in Konoha ranch for what he considered a lifetime already. That morning, for the first time since moving in, he felt unnerving cold shivers. He frowned when looking out a window to see a car he didn't recognize disappear into distant horizon.

Fortunately, the shivers turned into those of pleasure when a gentle kiss was placed to the tender skin of his neck. " Kakashi? Are you okay?"

He turned around to meet Yamato's soft eyes and a frown. " I'm fine", he murmured, giving the other man's forehead a peck. " Just had a weird hunch."

After the seven years they'd been together Yamato obviously knew better than to believe him, but the brunette also realized that there was no way to push him. Therefore the man glanced at something over his shoulder. " Well how about that. It looks like our newest inhabitant has finally arrived."

Looking downwards, he found a rather tiny, almost scarily determined looking, blonde haired boy making his way towards the building with huge bags, constantly peering towards all the windows and open space with bewilderment.

" Could you take care of him?" Yamato's voice managed to reach him. " I have to go to a store – we're almost out of milk, and I think there'll be a riot when the little rascals figure out we don't have almost any toilet paper left."

Grinning, he gave the man's cheek a kiss. " Okay. I'll see you later."

Yamato kissed his lips chastely, sending a warm flutter through him. " Of course. 'Love you."

He nodded while shuddering and licked his lips. " 'Love you too."

Once the man had left he frowned and folded his arms. The cold shivers from before hadn't disappeared the slightest, and he couldn't help wondering what they were about.

He then shook his head, gritting teeth.

He had work to do. He could very well drive himself insane after that.

* * *

CHAPTER 2: Welcome To The Planet

* * *

Naruto surprised himself with feeling scared and wary when knocking onto office's door. He'd already spun around to run off when a voice stopped him. " Aa, there you are! I thought you'd already sneaked away." Turning around, he found a man with silvery hair and dark eyes that seemed to hold something mischievous in them. " I'm Kakashi Hatake."

Putting all of his actor's skills to good use he grinned while outstretching a hand and taking the man's, desperately trying to hide just how nervous and insecure he was feeling. " Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto."

Kakashi smirked as well, and he had a feeling the man could see right through him. " Very nice to meet you. Now why don't we go into my office and get the boring part over with?"

-

The more Kakashi read through Naruto's papers, the sadder he found himself becoming.

Death records of parents… Years of moving around from one orphanage into another… Fights and torture like bullying at school… List of medication, Seroquel being one name there…

_What the hell has this kid been through?!_

All of a sudden, his eyes got lost into certain documents – those for adoption – and found a particular name that made his heart jump high.

_Iruka…?_

" Kak… Mr. Hatake, is something wrong?"

His head snapped up with surprise – honestly, he hadn't noticed Naruto was once more paying attention to him. Very slowly, a genuine smile appeared. His history wasn't the teen's fault, and Naruto had far more than his own share to carry already. " Of course not – all papers seem fine to me. And it's Kakashi. Now, to rules." He felt almost sorry when seeing a small flash of fright in the blonde's eyes. He'd have to move cautiously with this one. " No cell phones – in case of emergency, you can borrow mine. Silence lasts from ten to six, no exceptions. And no going to the stables alone, okay? It's for your own safety."

Naruto nodded eagerly, bravely trying to grin. " Sure thing."

" Good." He allowed his eyes to soften. " Well, now that we got that dealt with… Remember that this isn't a punishment, all right? You're here to rest and enjoy your summer. I and Yamato – you'll meet him later today – will take good care of you. So there's no reason to worry."

He might've imagined it, but he was almost sure he saw some tension disappear from those painfully innocent blue eyes. " 'K."

He smiled, then allowed his gaze to sweep towards the room's window. He was right on time to catch some movement. " Shikamaru!" Seeming extremely embarrassed, the brunette rose to view. " Since you're already there, why don't you introduce Naruto to the rest of the zoo while I take care of paperwork?"

* * *

Naruto didn't know what to think while Shikamaru led him through mile long hallway after another with strangely lazy steps. " This is where the girls live. I shouldn't be showing you this, but since is where one ends up when coming back from the stables…" The boy pointed towards doors. " That one's Ino's. She's an ex-model, and a daughter of the biggest founder of this place."

He frowned. " Then… What's she doing here?"

Shikamaru chuckled, though there seemed to be something sad behind it. " Trust me, even the most well meaning parents are able to do a lot of damage sometimes." Apparently deciding to talk about something else, the boy went on. " She shares her room with Sakura. That girl's here for community service."  
His eyebrow bounced up with curiosity. " Community service?"

" Apparently she punched a police officer – ten times. I don't even want to know the details." The boy then pointed the last door on the surprisingly small hallway. " And finally, there's Hinata. You're lucky if you'll catch a glimpse of her. We don't know why, but she's absolutely terrified of people, and none of us knows if she's mute. I'd suggest you to stay away from her – she broke one trainee's tooth."

Naruto found himself feeling a bang of sadness. Jiraiya definitely hadn't been lying when saying there'd be a lot of kids like him here…

Shikamaru guided him for three more turns, then opened a extremely heavy looking door to a slightly longer hallway. " This is the boys' side." Once more the brunette's hands moved. " The first room's Haku's. He's a nice guy, but really quiet and doesn't seem to trust anyone. If I've understood correctly, he's lost someone precious to him." One more movement. " You'll be sharing your room with Neji, Hinata's cousin – I think your stuff's already been taken there. Don't worry, he's harmless. I've heard he's already spent three summers here, but he still barely talks to anyone. None of us knows what he's doing here, and we don't want to ask."

He looked towards the boy. " Where are you staying?"

" Upstairs, since I work here. I help out around the stables and take care of newcomers sometimes, so Kakashi and Yamato gave me a room. But now…" The boy grinned his way. " Are you ready to meet the rest of the gang?"

In all honesty, he would've wanted to say 'no' from the bottom of his heart. But in the end he returned the other's smirk. " Sure. Let's go."

He found himself being taken into a rather huge hall, where a group of teenagers was hanging around. Even if he hadn't wanted to run away before, he definitely would've when all the eyes turned to him.

Fortunately, Shikamaru was still standing behind him. " Boys and girls, this is Naruto Uzumaki. We all want to make him feel welcomed, right?"

For a moment everything remained utterly still, but quite soon the tension melted away, allowing room for greetings.

Thanks to Shikamaru's introduction, he recognized just about everyone before they ever told their names.

Haku was sitting in a chair quite far from the others, reading a book, and gave him a smile along with a polite nod. Neji barely lifted his head from whatever the boy was writing to look at him while nodding as well. Ino – who seemed to be having a rather heated conversation with a pinkette – flashed him a bright smile and waved before going back to her former activities. Hinata was nowhere in sight.

Sakura, however, managed to take him by surprise. Judging by what Shikamaru had told him, he'd expected a boyish girl with dark appearance. Instead, a rather short girl with pink hair and sparkling eyes approached, offering him a smile. " Hi, Naruto. I guess Shikamaru already showed you around?"

" Yeah." He had no idea of where the following words came from, but he smirked and went on. " But I'd be glad to get another round from you."  
Sakura rolled her eyes skywards, muttering something that sounded like " Guys…", but smiled faintly nonetheless with amusement.

He opened his mouth, not sure of what he wanted to say, but became interrupted when a door he hadn't even noticed before opened and Sasuke entered with a stormy expression, obviously trying to walk through the room unnoticed.

Sakura, however, clearly wasn't about to give the Uchiha such pleasure. " Sasuke-kun, wait up! I want to introduce you to someone." Surprisingly enough the boy actually obeyed, glancing towards them with eyes that unmistakably asked ' _Now what?_'. Sakura looked towards him. " Naruto, this is Sasuke."

Naruto gave the raven a somewhat wry look, although something he couldn't quite recognize fluttered inside his stomach. " We've met."

" Hn." It wasn't until the boy's sound came did he realize that they were standing so close he could feel a breath of air when the raven balled his fists and started to walk away.

Had Sakura not been standing so close, Naruto would've never heard her words. " You'll come and play chess again before lights go out, right?"

Naruto had to use all his imagination to notice the raven's nod.

He scoffed as soon as the Uchiha had disappeared. " That bastard really isn't a people person, is he?"

He emitted a tiny 'eep' when Sakura smacked his head. " Let him be, Naruto."

" Gladly." Not pausing to think how unconvincing he sounded, he chose to switch topic. " What do you guys usually do around here?"

" Play ping pong." Sakura grinned. " Feel free to join in. Though prepare to lose – I haven't lost another match this summer."

Shikamaru gave an odd sound. " Then what was that round against me about?"

This time, it was the brunette who got smacked. " Shut it, Nara." Then remembering something, the girl spun around and started to leave. " I'll be back in a sec – I just remembered that Pakkun ate our ball yesterday."

Watching the pinkette's distancing back he shuddered. " That girl's got some serious anger management problems."

Shikamaru seemed to tremble as well. " You have no idea before you see her losing. Now let's get started before she figures out that I took the ball, not Kakashi's dog."

* * *

No matter for how long Shikamaru had been working around the stables, he still detested the stench his job left beyond all reason.

As soon as the hellishly long day ended, his only thought was to get a nice, hot shower, then fall into coma deep sleep. Fate, however, seemed to have other plans. For when passing by Ino's room, he heard talking.

The girl chuckled. " Yes, that's a promise. I'll come to you as soon as I get out of this jail, just like good old times."

He was about to walk away when the blonde's next words caused him to freeze completely. " 'Miss you too."

He didn't understand why, but he felt unimaginably cold all of a sudden, and what he could only call ache filled his entire chest.

All of him screamed out that he should run, save himself from what he felt approaching inevitably. But before he could convince his brain into accepting those messages the girl was already stood right before him.

At first he found terror from Ino's blue eyes, but quite soon they narrowed slightly, thick barriers rising. " How much did you hear?" she demanded.

He thought about lying, but in the end decided to be fair on them both. He shrugged. " Enough", was his simple response. He frowned. " How did you get a cell phone smuggled in here, anyway?" He'd thought Kakashi and Yamato were flawlessly efficient.

She snorted. " The first time I was caught shoplifting I was ten. Do you honestly think bringing a phone here would be impossible for me?" Her eyes then squinted to slits once more, carrying loud threat. " Now, if you as much as hint anyone about this…"

" About what?" Sakura's voice startled them both. Turning their heads, they found the pinkette leaning against a nearby wall with a suspicious expression.

Ino's face didn't reveal a thing. " Nothing. I'll go to bed." She mouthed ' _You'll better remember_' to him before closing the door, shutting out the rest of the world.

" Do I even want to know?" Sakura inquired.

He shivered a little. " Nope." After remaining frozen for a moment he started to walk away. " I should go to bed, too. Lights will be out in twenty minutes."

" Shikamaru." Sakura's eyes carried something he hadn't seen in them before when he met them quite reluctantly. " I… know Ino quite well, so… Be careful with her, okay? For both of your sakes."

He emitted a laugh, though it sounded quite hollow. " C'mon, pinky. It's not like I'd be falling for her or anything." He waved a hand, turning back around. " G'night."  
Sakura's response was delayed. " 'Night."  
Despite his words, he had only one thought in his mind while he walked away.

_This is going to be very, very troublesome._

-

Watching him walk away, Sakura shook her head and sighed heavily before starting the walk towards her own room.

* * *

/ _Ever since he was barely three, Naruto had known to be afraid of what was lurking inside him. It was cunning – always knew when he was at his weakest – and was most often far more powerful than he._

_That day, with him at the age of ten, what he'd feared with all his heart came to pass. While sitting deep in a chair right outside principal's office, the only truly coherent thought in his head was that he'd _never_ be able to face Iruka again._

" _Naruto?" He jumped at the voice that was certainly not that of his foster father. Looking up slowly, he met the frowning face of his best friend, Kabuto. The boy hesitated for a long time before going on. " Are you alright?"_

_He swallowed thickly, feeling his jaw quiver just a bit. " No."  
There was another agonizingly long silence while Kabuto visibly gathered courage. Eventually the silver haired spoke quietly. " Look… I heard… what happened." The boy hesitated. " Naruto… Why did you attack those boys? If it wasn't for principal Sarutobi, you could've…" The other trailed off._

" _They… They called me names, kicked me, and…" It took all the courage there was in him, but eventually he managed to look Kabuto straight into eyes. The boy's face seemed blurry with something appearing into his eyes – tears, he figured out later. " I… I can't control it anymore, Kabuto." Something wet and moist traveled down his cheeks. " It… It just… I can't…"_

_Kabuto's frown deepened, eyes filled with confusion. " What are you talking about?" Then, it seemed to dawn. He'd never seen his friend's eyes carry what filled them then before. " Wait… a minute." _

_Hand trembling uncontrollably, he pulled out a bottle of pills he'd just taken, showing it to his friend. " I… I've been taking these since I was a kid." His eyes and chest filled with something he later recognized as terror. " Don't tell anyone, please."_

_Back then he'd been too naïve to identify what he found from Kabuto's eyes. The boy smiled. " Of course I won't, Naruto." When the boy's hand withdrew from him, a tiny part of him already mused that smiles can't always be relied on. " You can trust me."_ /

* * *

Naruto found himself emitting a loud, nearly desperate gasp while waking up from the much too vivid nightmare, and blinked furiously to rid the burning that'd appeared into his eyes. His whole body shivered like a leaf while he lay and stared at shadows dancing on the roof above him. Hot tears already meandered down his cheeks, and he balled his fists so tightly that skin was almost broken.

_Damnit…_

Fortunately, his mind was just then distracted elsewhere. For something he found distantly familiar carried into his ears and his eyebrows furrowed.

_A… horse? But who…?_

With a frown of confusion he struggled his way out of the bed and walked up to the room's huge window. His heart made a movement he didn't understand when the sight met him.

It appeared that he wasn't the only one having trouble with finding sleep. For on a huge field spreading nearby the mansion Sasuke rose effortlessly onto the back of the stallion that'd been introduced to him as a 'hell horse'. The animal's head moved a little before it started to rush on with soft movements, listening to every single one of Sasuke's commands.

As though hypnotized, he watched how moonlight played on the horse and boy, creating unearthly colors and patterns. He watched with bafflement how the animal most viewed as a lost cause moved smoothly and obediently under Sasuke's lead while the boy sat with an expression that suggested the raven's mind was somewhere million miles away. It looked like such a magic trick he wanted to learn with every single one of his cells.

His eyes flashed while a solemn decision was made.

Even if it'd kill him, he'd climb up to a damn horse the next day. He'd ride like that as well.

So worked up by that silent vow he was, that he jumped a little and emitted a squeak when there was a thud of considerable weight hitting the floor, followed by a sound of window being closed. His head snapping to side, he discovered that Neji had just climbed in from the room's other window.

He frowned as soon as startle had faded. " Where were you?"

The boy seemed surprised for a moment, clearly not used to getting caught after these nightly journeys. The Hyuuga's expression, however, soon returned to normal. " I… visited a friend." Worried pale eyes searched through his. " Just… Don't tell Kakashi and Yamato, k'?"

He wasn't all that sure of why him not telling was so important – after all, those two adults didn't seem merciless or anything – but he nodded nonetheless with a bright grin. " Sure thing. Now let's go to bed, or there'll be a lot of questions in the morning."

Neji stared at him with near shock for a while, then nodded slowly with gratitude and complied.

* * *

Downstairs Kakashi moved his eyes from the book he'd been reading when Yamato entered the room. " So our runaway Hyuuga is back?"

The brunette nodded with a slight smile. " And in one piece."

He cast the man a somewhat sneaky glance. " Well, if everything's okay… Why don't we make the most of tonight…?"

Blushing a little, Yamato accepted the offer.

* * *

While the others fell asleep, Haku's steps led into a tiny room only he and one other person knew of. He wasn't surprised to find the said person there. " Bad day?" he asked when seeing a familiar female figure slumped heavily before a tiny window, legs brought to her chest and arms wrapped around them. Nodding more to himself than her, he approached slowly and took a seat beside her, just like countless of times before. " Me too. But this has been a good day, too. We got a new inhabitant – Naruto. He seems nice."

Hinata nodded, then lifted her gaze as though telling him to do the same. He obeyed, and found himself smiling brightly.

There, window and countless of miles separating the sight from them, stars shone, seeming so close that he could almost imagine touching them.

He glanced towards Hinata but only swiftly, afraid of startling her. " Thank you, for sharing this."

At that moment, something he would've never known to expect occurred. At first he thought it was his imagination, but was quite soon proven otherwise. Radiant blush appeared to Hinata's cheeks. Then, like in a slowed motion, a small smile graced her lips.

Unable to keep himself from smiling in return he kept looking at the stars, and found a very comforting thought.

Yes, it'd been a long, almost unbearable day – like anniversaries of _his_ death always were. But perhaps tonight wouldn't be as bad as the others.

* * *

Yes, because of his curiosity Naruto had done many things during his life he'd ended up regretting dearly later on. That day, he had a dark feeling such was once again taking place while he sneaked towards a huge stable without making another sound.

Carefully making sure that no one would see his little forbidden adventure he entered, managing to upset a couple of horses. He swallowed thickly, grateful that it was so early everyone else was still sleeping.

_What am I doing here, anyway? I should…_

All rationality, however, flew away when he saw what he supposed he'd been looking for. A huge, dark brown horse was looking straight at him from a stall, even darker eyes filled with suspicion and ears twitching. And he made up his mind.

It took him long to find all the necessary equipment, and much longer to get them onto the horse, but eventually he considered himself done when everything seemed just like in books. He grinned, satisfied with himself for actually succeeding.

His expression, however, faltered soon. Yes, this was done. But he was just coming to the _really_ hard part.

As soon as he'd all but dragged the somewhat resistant animal out of the building he took yet another look around, then braced himself and started the struggle of getting onto its back, all of his muscles trembling pitiably.

He was sure the horse would throw him away when he all but slumped onto it with all his weight, but instead it remained perfectly still for as long as it took him to find balance. Then – surprising him even further – it started to dash forth, as though knowing exactly where it was going.

He'd _never_ felt anything even remotely like that in his entire life. Wind blowing against his face, the huge animal's movements underneath him, the sensation of controlling a force of nature… Had he not known better, he would've been sure that he was flying high above the ground.

A huge grin spread across his face. " This isn't so hard after all."

He should've known that those words would turn out to be fatal. For as soon as they left his mouth he felt himself twisting to side. It took him a while to realize that something was wrong, but when he did a cold flood traveled through him from head to toe.

His eyes widened dramatically.

_Oh… shit…!_

With that thought the saddle started to slip, and he found himself turning towards very uninviting ground. And his hold broke.

He felt like falling into a bottomless hole, and opened his mouth for a scream – until something grabbed the collar of his jacket and his fall broke with a loud gasp.

" Lesson number one, deadlast", a voice he knew much too well stated, sounding rather irritated. He managed to prepare his muscles so that he didn't break any bones when falling quite ungracefully to hard ground. His eyes smoldered when meeting Sasuke's. " Before getting onto a horse's back, make sure the saddle is fastened properly. Next time, there won't be anyone to catch you."

He barely managed to keep himself from sticking out a tongue. " I wouldn't have needed help, teme", he argued, already then realizing how childish and ridiculous he sounded. " I was doing just fine."

Sasuke made a sound he identified as that of amusement. " If you call almost breaking your neck 'doing fine', I believe you." The boy then released his hold on bridle enough to pull something from his pocket. " You dropped this."

Something that shone in sunlight was thrown to him. His heart raced when he recognized the item.

Golden locket that had a picture of a magnificent fox engraved to it. _His _locket.

He glanced towards the raven with a somewhat suspicious expression. " How did you get your hands on this?"

The Uchiha shrugged. " You dropped it when sneaking around the stables. Bucephalus almost threw me from its back when seeing it."

_Bucephalus?_, a part of him mused. _So the demon horse has a name._

Most of him was, however, fixed elsewhere. Feeling somewhat sheepish, he flashed the raven a tiny grin while putting the necklace back to where it belonged. " Thanks."

Sasuke snorted while taking the horse he'd been trying to ride into a firm hold. " Don't thank me yet, idiot. You haven't heard your punishment for this little… extravaganza." With those words anyone else but he would've found ominous, the boy started to ride away.

His mind was buzzing busily while he kept watching the distancing back.

He still didn't know Sasuke at all. But at the moment, he realized that for the first time he found himself wanting to.

* * *

TBC, if you wish.

* * *

A/N: So, here we go. And our two boneheads seem to be dancing around each other. (smirks evilly)

Okay, as it's getting VERY late, and I seem to have a flue incoming, I'll get going now. PLEASE, leave a review before you go! I could really use your support right now. (glances with HUGE, hopeful eyes)

Take care, everyone! If you wish to see chapter three, I hope I'll see all of you there!

* * *

**Frayedsoul**: (grins) A huge part of the reason as to why I chose to write this is that I haven't seen anything exactly like this here on . The idea wrapped me around its finger and I just had to give it a go. I'm so glad you don't find the plot disturbing!

Colossal thank yous for the review! I really hope you'll keep looking forward to the rest, too.

-

**jiji**: (grins) Very well then.

Thank you so much for the review! Stick around, yeah?


	3. Welcome To Resistance

A/N: I'm back! Gosh, I'm so sorry it took me so long AGAIN to update, but I've been pretty swamped lately. (winces)

Before getting to the business… Thank you so much for those wonderful reviews! (HUGS) You can't even imagine how much drive they've given me in the middle of all hassle. THANK YOU! (Those who reviewed anonymously, search for you response from underneath the chappy, yeah?) (grin)

Okay, let's get going, yeah? Here's chapter three! I really hope it turned out okay.

* * *

After the stunt he'd pulled, Naruto had expected his punishment to be a nasty one. But _never_ would he have anticipated what he received.

When he was told that he was sentenced to take care of cleaning off all horse dung with Shikamaru, he was fairly sure his shriek could be heard miles away.

About half an hour later, he found himself stood before what looked hopelessly lot like a mission impossible. No matter how much he'd been through during his life, he had hard time keeping himself from screaming.

" You look like you could use a hand, deadlast."

After jumping with fright, he looked over his shoulder and blinked for several times with utter stun and disbelief. " Teme?" What the heck was _he_ doing there, with stable clothes on him?

Sasuke gave him a look that was somewhere between mocking and amused. " What? You thought I never get my hands dirty?"

After a moment of stun and uncertainty, he shrugged. " Something like that."

The raven rolled his eyes while starting out the work. " Let's just get on with it, dobe. There's a ton of chores left to do."

He winced, but knew better than to let Sasuke see it. " Thanks." For some reason he found himself actually meaning the word, from the bottom of his heart.

When he finally made it into his room, he fell asleep and no one had the heart to wake him up for dinner.

* * *

CHAPTER 3: Welcome To Resistance

* * *

/ **Two Days Later.** /

* * *

Naruto blinked with utter confusion while staring at a white, heavily pregnant horse stood before him. For a couple of times he shifted his gaze from the animal to a soft brush he was holding. " What… am I supposed to do?"

Sakura – who was currently working busily on a dark shaded horse beside him – groaned and rolled her eyes. " Geez…" Sighing a bit, she guided his hand to the horse's swelled side. The animal shuddered and gave him an inquisitive look, but didn't move. " Soft, long brushes – nothing overly difficult. Just bear in mind that Luna's a bit fidgety because of her state, okay?"

He nodded slowly. " 'K…"

Still somewhat hesitant he started his work, stubbornly deciding that he wasn't about to be some loser who couldn't get something like this done. He could've sworn the horse – Luna, as he now knew – leaned closer and sighed while he proceeded.

Shikamaru chuckled. " Well how about that – you're a natural."

Everyone – including Kakashi and Yamato, who were watching over them while taking care of horses of their own – chuckled when he stuck out a tongue. " Very mature, Naruto", the silver haired commented. " Now let's go back to business, okay? After this, we can go to a little picnic."

Naruto's eyes flashed with excitement. All of a sudden, he had a brand new drive to his work.

After about five minutes he turned his gaze towards one of the mansion's windows, sensing someone looking at him. For just a moment he was almost sure he saw a dark figure, but it disappeared with just one blink.

He groaned while refocusing on what he'd been doing.

_Great. So now I'm _really_ losing it…_

-

Haku found himself sinking deep into thought while brushing the shining, dark fur of a horse he'd been taking care of pretty much from when he'd first arrived to Konoha. He wasn't pulled back into awareness until his foot hit something hard, and a sound that made his horse shiver a little erupted. Looking down, he discovered that he'd managed to topple over a small bucket.

Emitting a silent 'hn' and giving the horse some soothing caresses, he knelt down to gather the fallen equipment back together. Quite soon, he realized that he had company. At first he blinked when a pair of hands – softer and smaller than his – appeared to help him, then looked up. He couldn't help feeling a wave of disbelief tinged shock when finding Hinata.

The girl who'd so far barely reacted to even him was working with him as though there'd been nothing strange about it at all.

Unable to stop himself he smiled when looking at the young Hyuuga once they were done. " Thank you."  
Just then happened something he would've never dared to even hope for. Slowly but nonetheless Hinata's lips parted, and for the first time in years sound came. " You're welcome."

After that she sunk into her own little world once more, but the smile didn't die from Haku's face.

Finally, he could allow himself to truly hope that things would eventually turn towards the better, even for Hinata.

-

Shikamaru's head snapped up when he heard someone swearing under their breath. Looking to his side, he discovered Ino hopping on one foot with a scowl while the girl's horse looked at her with what can only called mirth.

He wasn't sure if he even wanted to know, but asked anyhow. " What did you do?"

Ino's eyes smoldered when meeting his. " _I_ didn't do anything." She glared at her horse. " That sadistic being just attempted to smash all my toes. It has severe attitude problems."

He rolled his eyes. " Too damn troublesome…" He then sighed. " Stop being a drama queen, okay? This isn't exactly the most challenging task in the world."  
Ino snorted. " It is when that fleabag and I hate each other with passion."

He found it extremely hard to hold back a laugh. " She doesn't _hate_ you. Let me show you." They both shivered when he placed one hand on Ino's shoulder and another to the girl's hand that was holding a brush. Softly and slowly, they started to work together, making the blonde's horse give a sound of satisfaction. " See? It's not all that bad."

Ino shrugged, relaxing just slightly under his hold. " Maybe." Her voice was almost soft. " But I still hate that demonic thing."

-

The teens paid hardly any attention to it, but two pairs of eyes didn't leave them for even a second while they worked.

Yamato dared to let himself grin a little. " Well how about that. It looks like they're starting to make some progress."

Kakashi nodded while resting his chin against his shoulder. " Yeah. Considering how stubborn these ones are, I would've never expected it to happen this fast."

Yamato grinned, then jolted a bit when feeling something strange on his behind. His eyes narrowed when sweeping towards the silver haired. " Kakashi Hatake, did you just pinch me?"

Kakashi gave him his best innocent look. " I didn't do a thing."

* * *

Seeing as it was only six in the following morning, Naruto felt somewhat drowsy while marching through the mansion's huge estate with long steps, paying barely any mind to his surroundings. He had absolutely no idea of where his feet were taking him. What he found wasn't even close to what he'd expected.

Leaning lazily against a wooden wall, Sasuke was smoking outside a stable, inhaling deep breaths from his cigarette and seeming deep in thought.

He wrinkled his nose. " Where have you gotten those cancer rolls from? You're only fifteen."

It took a while before the Uchiha managed to look at him. He was surprised to discover that those dark eyes weren't as hard and violent as usually. " I have my ways, dobe."

His nose wrinkled even further when stench entered his nose. " That's a disgusting habit."

The raven snorted as though he'd just said the most amusing thing in the entire world. " You think I wouldn't stop if I could?"

He scoffed. " Maybe you shouldn't, after all. I doubt even something as sickening as that could turn you into more of a bastard than you already are."

Sasuke did nothing to change his opinion when swatting the back of his head.

They stood in a relatively comfortable silence for a while until Sasuke surprised them both with speaking first. " I heard you haven't gotten back onto a saddle after that little stunt of yours."

It took his all to not groan. Did they really have to talk about this? He decided that silence spoke louder than any words and kept his gaze fixed elsewhere, as though hoping unresponsiveness would convince Sasuke into dropping the subject.

Apparently, he had no such luck. The Uchiha finished off his cigarette, then made a motion that told him to follow. " C'mon, dobe. There's a lot we'll need to do."

He had a strong feeling that he wasn't about to like this, but he followed anyhow. He would've never admitted Sasuke how badly his legs trembled while he went.

He watched with nervousness he'd never experienced before while Sasuke saddled a horse for him – a rather small, kind looking one with honey coloured fur and huge dark eyes. It took much less time than he'd hoped before the raven had prepared both his horse and Bucephalus, and they were stood outside the stable.

He gulped thickly, his terror showing despite all his efforts to hide it. " Are… Are you sure I'll live through this?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. " Do you have to be so melodramatic?" The Uchiha sent a demanding look towards him. " Now c'mon, before I change my mind about helping you."

With hesitant steps he approached. To his surprise, he discovered that rising to the horse's back was much less scary and felt a lot less dangerous with Sasuke's confusingly experienced hands guiding and supporting him. Before he even realized it they were both ready to go. " Do you think you've found balance?" the raven inquired.

He nodded slowly, uncertainly. _How the hell am I supposed to know?_ " Yeah, I suppose", he breathed out.

" Good." The Uchiha encouraged his own horse into a dash. " Then let's go. Try to keep up, will you?"

And keeping up was what he did. To his stun, there was a genuine grin upon his face the entire time.

It felt so different from the last time, although it shouldn't have been even possible – so much better, perfect. He was flying, with the horse in his absolute control, through fields that seemed endless.

He almost moaned with dissatisfaction when Sasuke suddenly pulled Bucephalus to a stop. " Hey, why did we stop?" he whined out loud.

" Because your ass is already going to be hellishly sore", the Uchiha announced somewhat irritably, as though to a child. " Unless you want to be limping for the rest of the week, I'd suggest we call it quits."

" Fine." He couldn't help grinning mischievously. " But only if you'll race me to the stables."

It might've been a trick of his imagination, but he was fairly sure the Uchiha came an inch from smiling. " Okay then, if that's what it takes to shut you up."

Neither was all that surprised when Sasuke turned out to be the winner, and he almost fell off his horse for three times. He was still grinning when they went back into the mansion, dangerously close to holding hands.

* * *

That evening Naruto rubbed his throbbing behind gently while sauntering into the mansion's small library to check it out, gloomily admitting that it seemed Sasuke had been right when warning him about pain. He was mildly surprised to find Haku sitting on a windowsill with a book. The boy seemed to be lost into another dimension before hearing his steps.

Instinctively he took a step back, skillfully creating a grin. " Sorry. I'll come back later."

Haku smiled faintly while shaking his head and closing the book. " There's no need to." The boy tilted his head, as though observing. " First two weeks are the hardest, aren't they?"

He cast his gaze downwards, feeling embarrassed. Yes, he'd been homesick, and he didn't know if he belonged here. But he still shrugged, feeling a burst of determination. " It'll be okay, believe it."

Haku's smile deepened when he looked at the boy. " This isn't the easiest possible place to fit into, but if you just hold on it'll get easier. You also seem to have the right spirit – I've never seen anyone with that much determination before. I think you'll be just fine."

This time, the smirk that came wasn't faked. " Thanks." He then frowned, a thought striking him, and hesitated for the longest time before daring to voice what was bothering him. " I'm probably crossing a line or something, but… What are you doing here? You seem… okay." Actually, the boy seemed to be just about the sanest person he'd ever met.

Haku debuted for a very long time, then – to both their surprise – outstretched his hands so that sleeves weren't hiding milky skin anymore. His heart skipped a beat or two when he finally spotted what the boy had decided to show him.

There, decorating both of the raven's wrists, were two already somewhat healed, sickeningly deep scars. It was obvious that marks like that were only made in one purpose.

His innocent blue eyes were wide with shock when meeting the other's sad ones. " But… Why…?" _Why did you do something like that to yourself?!_

Haku gave a sigh while hiding his wrists, clearly not wanting to keep the marks visible any longer than necessary. " Naruto…" The boy's voice was even softer than usually. " Do you have… a precious person?"

After a while of musing, a picture of Iruka's face flashed by his eyes. " Yeah." Slowly but surely, he was beginning to catch on.

" _He lost a precious person_", Neji had told him.

The boy smiled sadly. " Then, you understand."

And he did, in a way, though he was by no means accepting the other's decision.

Most likely sensing his inner turmoil, Haku spoke in a somewhat amused tone. " In case you're wondering, I haven't… done anything since I came here."

He looked into the other's eyes, feeling as though a weight of some sort had been lifted from his shoulders. " So… You're okay?"

" I'm not sure if 'okay' is the right word, but I'm making it through each day. It doesn't seem impossible to create a life without him anymore."

Growing curious he opened his mouth to ask more, but was interrupted when there were shouts and a nearly animalistic sound coming from somewhere quite nearby.

Haku tensed up completely, starting to make his way away. " We'll catch up from this later, right?"

" Sure."

While watching the boy leave, he found himself smiling just a little bit.

Maybe this summer vacation wouldn't turn out to be so horrible after all.

* * *

Faster than he would've ever expected, Haku found himself from a hallway. As calm and composed as he usually was, he felt slight boiling in the pit of his stomach when his eyes started to accept what they were seeing.

Hinata was leaning against a wall, gasping for breath, while Kakashi and a man newspapers had introduced to him as Hiashi Hyuuga had a heated conversation. " As grateful as I am for the services you've given my family, my daughter doesn't need them anymore. It's time to move her into a much more suitable place."

He could see Kakashi grit his teeth. " Your wife has the full custody of Hinata, and she wants her to live here for a little bit longer. You don't have the authority to decide whether she stays or leaves."

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. " She's my daughter!"

At that moment – watching Hinata's anguished expression, erratic breathing and tears – Haku decided that he couldn't just stand back anymore.

Blatantly ignoring the men present, he walked up to Hinata and wrapped his arms rather determinedly around the girl, pulling her as close as he dared to. To his immense shock she laced her arms tightly around his neck, showing him trust unlike anything he'd ever faced before.

He didn't know for how long they remained there – with Hinata sobbing hysterically to his shoulder and he listening to Hiashi's hisses with gritted teeth – until he finally decided that if they wouldn't get away soon, the girl would fall apart completely.

Hiashi's eyes flashed sharply when the man watched him cradling Hinata gently while picking the girl up. " Where do you think you're taking my daughter?"

He felt a slash of sadness – mostly for Hinata's sake – and suspected it could be seen from his face. " To her room. She needs rest."

The man's eyes narrowed. " Do you honestly think you have the authority to decide what's good for my child?"

Whatever might've come out of the situation, Kakashi cut it short with slamming a hand to the older Hyuuga's shoulder. " Let's go and finish this up elsewhere." While leaving, the man flashed him a look of support and gratitude.

If Hiashi snarled something further he didn't know, for all his concentration was on the girl in his arms. He sighed heavily while noting that Hinata had fallen asleep.

The Hyuuga had taken a huge step forward that day. He really hoped Hiashi hadn't managed to destroy all that long awaited progress.

* * *

When coming back from the stables, Shikamaru frowned once noticing that something was out of place.

Outside the mansion was parked a fancy car he didn't remember seeing before. Stood on the building's doorsteps was Ino with a woman he suspected to be her mother. Kakashi, Yamato and Sakura were watching the two, seeming somewhat worried.

His senses tingled with threat. " What's up?"

Ino's grin was such he'd never met before when the girl looked at him. " I'm finally getting out of here, for only two weeks but still."

Kakashi and Yamato didn't seem quite as excited. " Are you absolutely certain about this?" the brunette inquired.

Ino's mother – who looked so much like her daughter that it baffled him – nodded sternly, blue eyes flashing. " My daughter's been locked up in here for long enough already, and I know her well enough to know she's fine." One of the woman's eyebrows arched. " Or didn't my husband give you enough of money while he was alive to make sure you'd listen to me?"

Shikamaru was almost sure Ino's whole frame jolted at those words as though she'd been electrocuted.

" Be sure to inform us if anything happens, okay?" Yamato asked, seeming mildly defeated.

Ino's mother scoffed. " She's going home. What could possibly happen to her?" The woman then started to leave, dragging along the blonde who'd just finished up her hug with Sakura. " Now, if you excuse us…"

Shikamaru all but bit his tongue while watching the mother and daughter go. For just about the first time in his entire life he was completely, utterly clueless as to what he should've done. What he'd heard the girl speaking over phone not too long ago bounced around in his head.

Speaking out would've broken all the little trust Ino had on him. But then again, the price of staying quiet…

He shuddered a little when Ino's fingers brushed his while the girl passed by, carelessly carrying a bag in one hand. The girl flashed a bright grin his way, and her expression reminded him of a caged animal that was attempting to settle back into nature after having been captured for much too long. " See you in two weeks", she said, sounding so close to normal that it truly terrified him. ' _Thank you_', her eyes filled in.

He swallowed thickly, watching how the blonde disappeared into her mother's car. " Yeah… See you…"

For some reason, he felt ominous cold shivers while watching the vehicle disappear with a cloud of dust.

" Shikamaru." Sakura's green eyes were hard and demanding when he finally managed to meet them. " Is something wrong?"

" Nah." Almost without noticing it, he peered towards the direction to which Ino had disappeared. " Everything's peachy." Or so he desperately hoped.

* * *

Some hours later Naruto found himself sneaking towards Sasuke's room, his soul, pure intention being to thank the boy for the morning's riding lesson. The raven, however, wasn't there.

He emitted a sound of irritation. " Typical."

That was around when he spotted something on the Uchiha's bed that caught his attention. It was a tiny photo album.

Yes, he'd always been a curious person. That's why he just couldn't hold himself back, although he knew that he was most likely digging his own grave.

Carefully making sure Sasuke wasn't nowhere in sight, he sneaked towards the treasure and went as far as opening it after taking a couple of breaths. What he found caused him to frown with deep confusion.

In the about five pictures placed into the album was a rather adorable family – somewhat cautiously smiling mother, stone faced father and two boys. It didn't take a genius to notice how close the brothers were. It took him a while to figure out that the smaller one of the boys was Sasuke.

He couldn't understand. If Sasuke had parents, then what was he doing here? What had happened to his family?

" Naruto, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Sasuke's voice wasn't filled with anger, instead it carried coldness that could easily outmatch Siberian winter.

Gulping thickly he turned around slowly, not remembering to let go of the album although he should've. " Sasuke, I'm sorry. I just…"

Managing to startle him with the swift movement the raven sped to him, snatching the finding from his hold before he could do more than blink. " This is private property", the boy snarled, eyes narrowing. " Do you have any idea of what that means?"

Apparently he had even less instinct of self protection than he'd thought, because no matter how hazardously Sasuke's eyes blazed (filled with panic and utter agony, some part inside him identified to his amazement), he didn't withdraw or walk away. Instead he pressed on. " Why are you so defensive?" he demanded, not knowing his own good well enough to stay quiet. " Did… something happen to your family?"

" Naruto." Sasuke's eyes were cold and hard, filled with something that looked like feral, animalistic fear. The raven's breathing wheezed a bit. " Unless you want to sustain broken bones or something much worse, stay the hell out of my business, do you understand? Don't _ever_ ask about my family again."

Cold shivers ran all the way through him. He knew he probably should've been afraid, but… " Sasuke, I…"

Sasuke clenched his eyes firmly shut and grit teeth so tightly that he could hear a screech. " Are you deaf?" the boy all but snarled, voice shuddering strangely. " Get… the hell… out of here… _now_!"

There was no way he'd get through to the Uchiha right now. " Fine", he scoffed.

When he whirled around and walked away, closing the door after him, it took his all to not turn around when he heard a choked sound he couldn't recognize.

* * *

Not all that far away, Kakashi and Yamato – who'd barely recovered from the hectic first half of the day – were just about to spend some quality time behind a closed door when sounds of much too familiar shouts floated into their ears.

Kakashi groaned loudly while Yamato buried his head into his shoulder. " I suppose we can't ignore that, can we?"

Yamato sighed heavily, unwillingly letting go of him. " Yeah, I suppose", the man murmured while steps stormed past their room.

To chase away some of their disappointment, Kakashi decided to do something very uncharacteristic. Yamato shuddered with pleasure when his lips found the man's. " I'll be back in a bit", he promised. " Take care of the rest of the zoo in the meantime, will you?"

The brunette chuckled. " Sure thing."

-

Once the door had closed after Kakashi, Yamato found his eyes moving towards a usually locked closet door that was, surprisingly enough, hanging open. He frowned when spotting a metallic box he didn't remember seeing before.

At that moment, curiosity took the best of him. Steps firm and soundless, he got out of the bed and eventually grabbed the box, opening it. What he found inside caused him to frown.

There were unopened letters, at least twenty of them. Each had the same sender's name.

'_Umino Iruka_'

For just a couple of moments he came extremely close to opening the envelopes – to finally discovering what his lover had been hiding since the day they'd met – but in the end he closed the box once more and put it back to where it belonged.

Whatever secrets those letters would've held… They weren't his to unwrap. Besides, he had more important things to do.

* * *

' Seething' would've been nowhere near a word enough to describe Naruto's state when he slumped to the mansion's main porch, blue eyes flaming with rage and about a thousand other emotions.

Yes, he'd done wrong when touching something that wasn't his. But still… What he felt right now was a bit too close to the pain he'd dealt with for most of his life.

He was startled out of those depressing thoughts when there was a tiny screech, after which Kakashi sat beside him. The man was silent for quite a while before speaking. " So… I heard you had a little… crash with Sasuke."

He grit teeth, narrowing his eyes. " Thanks, but I'd rather not talk about it."

Kakashi's aura was filled with sympathy. " He wasn't furious with you, you know? He's just… quite territorial, and heaven knows he doesn't know how to deal with his emotions."

He snorted. " Yeah, I kinda noticed."

" Naruto…" Kakashi remained silent for the longest time, wondering how to proceed. " I know you've been through a hell, and it's unfair to ask you to understand anyone. But… Sasuke's walked a long, rocky road as well."

He frowned. Thousands of questions spun in his head, but he only willed himself to voice one. " So… What are you saying?"

" No one's gotten closer than you to getting through to him – that's a huge reason to why he's giving you a hard time." Somewhat to his surprise, Kakashi smiled a bit when looking at him. " Most of the time you two are like cat and dog, but you could also be exactly what you've been needing to each other."

Yes, he knew any sane person would've laughed out loud at such suggestion. (So now he was supposed to make friends with that bastard?) But his mental health had never been called perfect, and therefore emitted something that was close to a groan instead. " How are we supposed to… bond if he wants nothing to do with me?"

Kakashi looked at him with mild surprise. " So… you'd be ready to try?"

He shrugged, suddenly finding deep interest towards a bird hopping on nearby field. " Maybe, so long as that doesn't kill me."

He was almost sure the silver haired came close to chuckling. " In that case, the first step has already been taken." The man then got up, as though remembering something. " I've gotta go. Don't forget to show up for supper, okay?"

He was far too deep in thought to hear the man.

* * *

In the end Naruto never did go to the supper. Instead he walked around the ranch rather aimlessly, never even noticing that darkness had already fallen.

He wasn't shaken out of his thoughts until he heard husky whispers, as well as some movements. " … gonna see us." The male voice sounded suspiciously familiar, but he didn't recognize it immediately.

Was that… a kiss he heard next? " It's okay", another voice – unfamiliar this time, also male's – commented. " You're worth the price."

Curiosity taking the best of him, he managed to find an angle from which he could see the couple without being spotted. His eyes grew close to the size of melons when the sight sunk in.

There, a boy with red hair was holding Neji rather gently, so that the Hyuuga's back was leaned against a wooden wall. Judging by the boys' postures and the way they touched each other, it wasn't hard to tell just how close they were.

Emitting a deep sigh, Neji leaned his head against the redhead's shoulder and held the boy just a little more tightly. " You should go. It was already a ridiculous risk for you to come here, and Kakashi and Yamato will show up looking for me soon."

" I know." Both boys' gestures were filled with reluctance to part while the redhead gave Neji a small yet fiery kiss. " I'll see you tomorrow at the orphanage, right?"

Neji nodded, licking his lips. " Of course."

Something more Naruto couldn't hear was whispered before the stranger turned around with clearly apparent reluctance and disappeared into shadows, leaving Neji staring at his distancing back with an expression that couldn't be read. Quite soon the Hyuuga left as well, leaving Naruto blinking with utter stun.

* * *

Hinata had no idea of for how long she'd been sleeping – for once without any nightmares whatsoever – before she woke up to a warmth that didn't feel like anything she would've experienced before.

Her eyes flew open with fright, but calmed down to confusion when the sight before them cleared. A thin smile she didn't even notice appeared.

There, right beside her in the bed, Haku had fallen asleep with a frown, one arm wrapped protectively around her.

Unable and unwilling to fight against sleep any longer, she buried her face to boy's chest and cautiously laced one arm around his warm body. Even in her current state of mind, one thing was surprisingly clear to her while she drifted towards inviting oblivion.

She'd never felt that safe in her entire life.

-

Neither noticed how the room's door inched ever so slightly when Yamato took a peek inside. A small, warm smile lingered on the brunette's face while he watched them for a while before closing the door again, leaving them to rest.

* * *

About half an hour after his rather surprising discovery about Neji, Naruto managed to find his way to the mansion's roof – only to discover that he wasn't alone.

There, bathing in the light of just appeared moon, Sasuke was sitting with his back to him, only hair and clothes moving in light wind.

He was just about to escape when the boy's sharp voice cut him short. " If you run away now, I'll lose all the little respect I have on you."

Emitting a storm of cusses inside his head, he approached with utter reluctance and slumped to the raven's side. Extremely heavy silence lingered.

Eventually he swallowed thickly, the words he wanted to say almost harder to get out than he could take. " Look, teme… I'm sorry."

Sasuke was silent for a very long time. When the boy suddenly outstretched a hand he jumped – almost sure the raven would punch him – then blinked with surprise when seeing a very delicious looking apple on the other's hand.

Apparently seeing his questioning look without gazing his way, Sasuke spoke. " Kakashi mentioned you skipped supper, so eat up. I know you're starving."

Flashing the raven a look of gratitude although the other wasn't looking, he started to eat. Comfortable silence remained while they kept admiring the landscape.

* * *

TBC, if you want it to.

* * *

A/N: Hold it, hold it… YES! They ARE getting closer. (grins)

I should be doing something else entirely right now, so I'll better get going. But first… PLEASE, do review! Your support would mean a world to me, especially with how busy I am and how… different this story is from my other pieces of work! (sends pleading glances, then offers chocolate as a bribe)

Until next time, everyone! I REALLY hope I'll be seeing you all around then!

Be good!

* * *

By the way… **Does any of you still remember my other, older fic, 'Last Chance, Last Dance'?** Apparently, it's a nominee for the title of 'Naruto fanfic of the month' in a forum. If you're curious, take a look to see what's it all about and take a peek at the contestants. (grins) Here's the link. (Just put FF's adress before it, yeah?)

/topic/51748/9258552/1/

* * *

**tysonandkai**: You've found this ficcy refreshing? (blushes) Thank you so much!

Monumental thank yous for the incredible review – I'm happy to hear you've liked the story thus far! I truly hope you'll enjoy the next chapter as well.


	4. What Happens Next?

A/N: Yes, the rumors were correct – I AM still alive and kicking, somewhat at least. (grins) I'm so sorry about the inexcusable delay! I've just been incredibly busy and stressed out lately (NOT because of stuff, just so you know), and there was a project I had to finish. (winces) But now I'm FINALLY back on track. (rubs hands together)

Before letting get to the real deal, thank you from the bottom of my heart for those heart warming reviews! (HUGS) You can't even imagine how great help you've been. Kiitos!

Awkay, before you'll start throwing things… Here it is, AT LAST – chapter four! I really hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

/ **One Week Later.** /

* * *

Tsunade had been a psychiatrist for almost thirty years already. That's why she could immediately tell patients who were willing to accept help from those who'd keep miles of distance.

Sasuke Uchiha was without a doubt the most challenging case she'd ever met during her career. After several years of extremely hard work she had, however, started to sneak through his barriers. That was until something that was still a mystery to her had happened seven months earlier. Today – two weeks before _the anniversary_ – the raven seemed even more closed up than he'd been when they'd first met.

She sighed inwardly when going through his files, sounds of papers being the only ones that punctured the heavy silence drifting in the room. " According to these notes you've lost weight, and you haven't agreed to go through weighing recently. You also haven't allowed the planned blood tests to be taken." She looked towards him, but didn't manage to catch his eyes. " Sasuke, what's going on?"

His response and expression were exactly the same as they'd been when they'd met for the first time, back when he'd been ten. " How much longer is this session going to take?"

That was the final confirmation she needed. It took her all to keep sadness from showing in her eyes. " You've fallen back into your old habits, haven't you?" She ran a hand through her hair, and waited for a beat before going on. " Sasuke… You need to process _those things_ eventually. You do know that, right?" No matter how frustrated she was, her eyes turned slightly softer. " I know it hurts, but you have to let yourself heal. Living like this won't get you anywhere."

Sasuke jolted as though she'd just punched him. " I do process all that, every fucking night and every time I close my eyes", he all but snarled, voice shuddering against his will. " Unless you can give me something that'd make those flashes stop, there's nothing you can do for me. These interrogation sessions won't change that fact." The boy took a sharp breath, looking towards some indefinable spot on the distant horizon. " I'll let you know when I'm ready to let you into my head, but today isn't the day."

She frowned. " What are you so afraid of?"

The boy didn't meet her gaze, instead balled his fists so hard that knuckles turned white and grit teeth. Onyx eyes kept looking away, clearly seeing something she couldn't.

She suppressed a sigh, making notes. " I want to see you tomorrow, okay? It's time to move back to the more intensive therapy."

She almost shivered when meeting Sasuke's eyes. They weren't venomous or filled with hatred, no. Instead they were horrendously blank, as though the soul behind them had been gone. " Can I go now?"

She sighed out loud this time, feeling more defeated than ever in her life. " Yes."

While she watched him go like an animal escaping from a deathtrap, she couldn't help feeling that he was slipping away from her reach. And all she could do was wish that there was someone who'd be able to get all the way to Sasuke's scars before it'd be too late…

* * *

CHAPTER 4: What Happens Next?

* * *

Yes, it was a well known fact amongst everyone who knew him that Naruto hated doctors beyond all reason. That's why he was fidgeting on his seat while waiting for Tsunade to call him in.

He gave a glance towards Kakashi, who was standing beside him, reading a book of some sort. " You're here to make sure I won't chicken out, aren't you?" he suspected out loud.

The man seemed mildly amused for just a moment. " You seem to know me pretty well already." The older then glanced towards him, eyes seeming almost evaluating. " How are you holding up?"

It took his all to not snort. " So well that if you wouldn't be there I would've sprinted off five minutes ago."

Kakashi seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but never got the chance to before the door nearby was opened. Naruto blinked twice when finding Sasuke emerging. " Are you seeing the shrink, too?" he blurted out.

The raven scoffed. " Not exactly out of my choice."

Kakashi's eyes were hard and nearly pleading when the man looked at the raven. " How did it go?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed. " Just as splendidly as expected." The boy then started to leave, seeming just as anxious as an animal trapped into a cage. " I need some fresh air."

Naruto knew full well that it was none of his business, but at that moment he just had to voice what was on his tongue. " Hey, teme." The boy didn't turn around but stopped, signaling him to go on. " You're okay, right?"

The Uchiha's shoulders moved just a little. It took a while before there was a response. " Just focus on yourself, deadlast." With that the raven walked away.

Naruto emitted a growl, an inch from rolling his eyes. " That stuck up bastard…"

He was interrupted when Kakashi ruffled his hair roughly. He glanced towards the man with confusion. " What was that for?"

The silver haired smiled wistfully. " You'll understand soon enough."

He would've wanted to ask for an explanation, but the decision was out of his hands. For at the exact same moment when his mouth opened, the door Sasuke had just walked through opened and he found a woman with blonde hair and warm eyes. " You're Naruto, right?" She motioned for him to step forth. " Why don't you come in so we can have a little chat?"

-

Naruto realized that as comfortable as the huge armchair he'd been guided into was, he was fidgeting while Tsunade scanned through his papers.

" You can stop looking so scared, you know?" the woman pointed out, not glancing his way. " This may feel unpleasant at first, but I'm not going to hurt you."

He nodded slowly, daring to relax a bit. " 'K."

For just a couple of more moments Tsunade went through his papers until looking back up at him. " So… Have you liked it here so far? I hope this zoo hasn't given you a hard time."

He surprised himself with grinning lightly. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all…_ " Yeah, it's been great – well, when it comes to everything but Sasuke-teme." All of a sudden his expression fell when a sudden realization came. " I… wouldn't want to leave."

Something seemed to cross Tsunade's eyes, although it might've been his imagination. " Why's that?"

He changed his position several times, feeling extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden. Instead of Tsunade, he locked his eyes to a dust ball running across the floor below him. " It's all in those papers, right?" He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to even think about it, when the wounds were much too raw and sore. It felt like his heart had been poked and nausea became almost too much to take every time those painful words crossed his head.

Those brutal nicknames, kicks and punches, all the loneliness, isolation and disparaging…

/ _" _Thing_, touch me ever again and the next one hurts more. Understood?"_ /

/ _Only his pride kept him from crying when a merciless kick was aimed at his side, and he could actually feel ribs breaking._ /

/ _He could still remember how his heart had shattered to pieces when Kabuto walked away the last time they had a proper conversation. " I never told you to trust me, did I?"_ /

_Like trying to control _it_ hadn't been enough_, he thought somewhat bitterly, his eyes narrowing the slightest bit.

" They gave you a very hard time, didn't they?"

Tsunade's voice was so sympathetic that he dared to look at the woman. As soon as his eyes met hers, however, he created a feeble grin to keep her from seeing how much his chest hurt at the moment. " I'd rather not talk about it."

" Naruto." The woman's gaze was soft and stony at the same time. " I know you've been through a lot, with your illness and everything else. But I can also already tell that you're one of the strongest people I've ever met – dealing with schizophrenia and all those despicable people must've been unbearably hard. And you also haven't lost your faith in people, which is a great thing. This is a good start."

He felt like a five-year-old when looking at the woman, desperate hope most likely radiating from his eyes. " Really?"

Tsunade smiled, which – he could tell with just one glance – wasn't something you saw everyday. " Yeah. And there's no need to move forward any faster than you're ready to."

It was the first time he cried in ages, and for no apparent reason at all. (Maybe it was stress, relief and about million other things mingling together and becoming too much.) And he realized that it felt like a ton's weight had been lifted from his shoulders when they quaked. It was also the first time since Iruka had saved him from an orphanage he dared to feel cautiously optimistic.

It was sad (or perhaps fortunate) that he didn't know what Tsunade did when the woman handed him a box of tissues with a somewhat soft expression.

This was only just the beginning.

* * *

It was extremely rare that Kakashi's cell phone would ring, and when it did the news were _never_ good. That slowly falling night was no exception.

He was barely coherent enough to press a single button, let alone speak. " Hmmh?"

He woke up quite rapidly to sounds of heart breaking sobs. " _K-Kakashi, I… __I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry… You were right._"

He was fully awake when lifting himself into a sitting position. " Mrs. Yamanaka? Is something wrong with Ino?"

" _She… My baby, she…_" The woman composed herself for several agonizing seconds. " _She's in a hospital, and the doctors, they… They don't know…_" She trailed off.

His response came without a beat's doubt. " I'll be there as soon as possible."

Yamato was also very much awake beside him when he hung up. " What's going on?"

He swallowed thickly and sighed before responding. " I'll better go to Kyoto. Ino's in a hospital."

Yamato's eyes grew a little. " What happened?"

He shook his head, struggling out of the bed's inviting warmth. " I'll better get going. Her mother was hysterical – there's no telling what'll happen next."

The brunette nodded his agreement. " I'll take care of the kids with Tsunade, and Sakura – that girl doesn't have to go through _this_ again. You should take Shikamaru with you."

Had the situation been another, he might've smirked a bit. " I doubt he'd let me leave without him when finding out about this", he commented while packing up lightly and hastily. Before heading out, he came to think of something and walked up to Yamato, pressing a gentle kiss to the man's lips. " I'll keep you posted."

" I know." He could feel Yamato's eyes on his back while he started to walk away. " I love you."

He quaked visibly, an extremely nasty déjà vu striking him with full force. That day, he'd been the one in the brunette's place…

It was a miracle he managed to respond. " 'Love you, too." Without saying anything more or daring to glance backwards he left.

Outside the room he took a deep breath to calm himself.

It was time to focus on Ino. He could wrestle with shadows and monsters of past some other day.

* * *

Ino groaned when waking up slowly, her head protesting violently against awareness.

" Aa, so you're finally awake." Quite slowly, she opened her eyes halfway to meet a dark haired nurse. The woman smiled at her. " We were getting a little worried about you."

She frowned, her head too fuzzy to catch on. " What…?"

The nurse's expression hardened slightly. " You drank quite a bit and also took some pills, but you're fine now. And so is your baby."

For just a moment the entire world stilled and she had a sinking feeling when those words seeped through surface.

_Pregnant…?_

Her eyes widened to a dramatic size. " W-What…?"

The nurse's eyes grew huge as well. " You… didn't know? I'm so sorry, but seeing as you're already three months along…!"

She inhaled deep breaths, desperately trying to get some sense into things and make her head stop spinning.

" That boy – Kabuto – who brought you in… Is he the father? Because he keeps asking to get to see you." The nurse's eyes were filled with sympathy. " Would you like me to call him in?"

She shook her head frantically and buried her face into both hands. " Don't let him in." The words came long before she could process them. " Please, don't let him in. Please."

" Okay." The nurse laid a comforting hand to her shoulder. " I'll come back in two minutes, okay? Is there anything you'd want?"

She shook her head, still not daring to remove her hands from her face.

She didn't hear the nurse leaving, didn't sense being left alone. All she could make out was the screaming inside her head.

About five seconds after the door had been closed she emitted a loud, earsplitting shriek.

* * *

Night had already fallen and Neji had headed for one of his forbidden adventures when Naruto came to a conclusion that there was something wrong with how restless his mind was. It was almost like he'd sensed something huge approaching.

In the end he found himself approaching one of the stables, and frowned when seeing a beam of light.

_What's going on? Isn't everyone supposed to be asleep already?_

Yet again giving in to his curiosity he entered the building, following light. While walking he noticed that most of the horses were moving around restlessly, without a doubt knowing that something was wrong.

Once he reached his destination, he wasn't able to keep himself from blinking with shock. For there, fallen to his knees onto the floor of a stall, Sasuke was taking care of a heavily pregnant horse and whispering when the animal gave sounds of discomfort while laying down.

It took a moment before he found his voice. " What's going on?"

Sasuke shuddered barely visibly – clearly not having heard him coming – then spoke without looking at him. " Taiseki is foaling." It could've been his imagination, but he mused that the boy's voice sounded strange. " I didn't dare to leave her alone, and Yamato wouldn't know what to do even if I'd wake him up."

Naruto could tell his eyes were wide with shock.

' _She_', no longer '_it_'. And he could see several emotions dancing in Sasuke's eyes, the raven having no control over them at the moment.

He couldn't help wondering if anyone else had seen this side of the Uchiha.

His eyebrows furrowed once most of the shock faded, and a cold shiver of sadness crossed him when he looked at the clearly agitated animal. " Have you called a vet?"

Sasuke emitted a sound of amusement. " Dobe, it's one in the morning. Our vet – Hana – is visiting her family, and no one else would come here at this hour. It's just us."

Feeling somewhat defeated he fell to the Uchiha's side, landing closer than he'd first indented. " Can we help?"

" She's in a lot of pain", Sasuke explained, onyx eyes never leaving the distraught animal. " But right now… We can't do much more than wait."

He frowned and almost outstretched a hand towards the horse, but changed his mind at the last moment. " Do you think she'll be okay?"

Sasuke waited for a long time before responding, and when he did the boy didn't glance his way. " Hn."

Despite the rather solemn situation, he found himself yawning all of a sudden. He wasn't all that surprised; he hadn't had any sleep that night, and he'd been up for most of the night before because of stupid nightmares.

Sasuke, of course, noticed his exhaustion. " Dobe, you can barely sit upright. Just go to sleep, will you?"

He frowned and yawned again. " 'Bout Taiseki?"

The Uchiha seemed to come close to rolling his eyes. " I doubt anything will happen for a long time. If something goes wrong, I'll wake you up. So sleep."

He tried to struggle, but in his current state didn't have enough will and strength. In a matter of moments his eyes started to droop. The last sight he caught was that of Sasuke stroking Taiseki's fur absentmindedly and staring at something in distance his eyes didn't catch.

While sliding steadily towards oblivion, he found himself wondering what the fluttering feeling in his chest was when he looked at the raven.

* * *

Neji had long ago lost track on how many times he'd sneaked through Gaara's window in a local orphanage. And, he decided easily, the amount of times passed didn't matter at all, not with what he was holding in his arms.

He'd always loved the scent of Gaara's hair – he would've never told it to the redhead, of course, but it reminded him of exotic desert flowers and night. Nothing else in the entire world could've made him feel more safe and content.

He shivered with pleasure when feeling a soft kiss being placed to his neck. " What are you thinking about?" Gaara inquired.

He responded with kissing the boy's slightly swollen lips gently, and hoped from the bottom of his heart that he would've had it in him to utter what he would've wanted to. Based on how Gaara returned his gesture and held him close, though, the boy seemed to understand.

Feeling gutsier than usually for some reason, he dared himself to deepen the kiss, and went as far as biting the other boy's lip gently.

He welcomed the tiny, rare chuckle that erupted from the redhead. " Are you really ready for the second round?"

His comeback left no room for doubt.

-

What they didn't know, was that they were being observed by very unwanted eyes…

* * *

For as long as he could remember, Haku had loved rain. Back when he'd been a child – scared and abandoned by everyone – even during the darkest of days rain had brought him comfort. It also reminded him of _him_. It'd been pouring rain when they'd first met, and water had fallen even harder the day _he_ died. Water still soothed him (after all it'd been _his _element), although it also held painful memories. Whenever heavy drops hit puddles, it felt like he wasn't alone in the world anymore.

He could smell and feel a thunderstorm approaching while inhaling fresh air that hit his face now that he'd opened up one of the long hallway's windows. What felt like electricity tingled on his skin while he closed his eyes and waited.

He didn't know for how long he'd been standing there before he became aware of the feeling that he wasn't alone anymore. Slowly and with some reluctance he opened his eyes and turned his gaze to find Hinata standing quite nearby. The girl's pale eyes were wide with terror while she stared at the window he'd opened.

He frowned lightly. " What's wrong?" He then clicked. " You don't like storms, do you?"

The girl shook her head, then stunned them both with speaking a full sentence. " I can never sleep when there's a storm coming."

For some moments all he managed to do was stand there and look at her, surprise flooding over. He couldn't believe the girl before him was the same who spoke for the first time in years only a week ago.

Quite soon he woke up from his stunned state, and came to a decision. Hinata granted him a look of distrust when he walked up to her and outstretched a hand. He smiled. " It's alright – I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."

Hinata hesitated for quite a while, then – very slowly – accepted his hand. They took every step as carefully as humanly possible, finally making it to the window and getting used to the constantly loudening, distant rumble outside.

They stood in silence for almost an hour – both shivering when the hallway became cold with a breeze from outside filling it – and the entire time he held Hinata's quivering hand, giving it a tiny, pretty unnoticeable squeeze every time she jumped until she became perfectly still, only slight tremble remaining.

He almost smiled when looking towards her mildly paled face to find a very concentrated expression. " It's not too bad, is it?"

For quite a while she remained unmoving, until she did something so unexpected that they both had to swallow gasps of shock. On the spur of the moment she rose to her tiptoes and planted a tiny, extremely chaste kiss to his cheek, then retreated as though nothing had ever happened. Crimson blush could be soon upon both their faces while they kept looking at the constantly darkening weather and listened to rain falling.

Haku didn't have any idea of how right he'd been when predicting storm. For quite soon it did arrive – in far more ways than one…

* * *

For some reason he didn't comprehend, Yamato couldn't find rest, hadn't been able to since Kakashi had walked through the door of their bedroom.

Once darkness had fallen it'd seemed like everyone was in one piece; what now Sakura had been worried about Ino although the pinkette hadn't admitted it, Neji had gone to his usual stroll and Naruto was in a stable with Sasuke. That's when he'd decided that he'd end up driving himself insane if he didn't get some rest. So far he'd had no such luxury.

Yet again returning to the room he usually shared with Kakashi, he found his gaze locking to something he hadn't noticed before and frowned. The metallic box he'd found not too long ago – the one that'd been filled with mysterious, unopened letters – was in its usual place in a closet, but now it was open. One letter the silver haired man had clearly forgotten lay on top of it, text upwards and easy to read.

He knew he was doing something very, very wrong, that he'd get his hands burned, one way or another, for touching what wasn't his. But he couldn't control himself for even another second – it felt like a sign of some sort had been given to him.

His first intention was to simply put the letter back to where it belonged, but quite soon his eyes strayed to the words written on a plain, white sheet of paper. What he found felt like a punch straight at his face.

_It's been so long that sometimes I wonder if you've forgotten about me. I doubt it, though; if for nothing else, you'll always remember me by how much pain and confusion I brought on you._

_I should've listened to you when you tried to tell me everything that was in your heart, but I was scared and confused. I did the stupidest thing in my entire life that day._

_If it gives you any consolation, I still haven't forgiven myself._

He felt sick to his stomach for some reason, but went on anyhow. In exactly sixty-four seconds he hoped dearly he hadn't.

_It was just a drunken mistake, but apparently that was all it took to destroy everything. I threw our friendship away, just because I was too scared to see that you weren't lying. That the words you told me weren't those empty ones you gave to all your conquests._

_Kakashi, I know I was an idiot, but it's been seven years. Can't you forgive me already?_

_Seven years…_

Yamato's eyes changed dramatically when sweeping over the date on top of the letter, gaining a glazed look and starting to sting.

He remembered that night, too, perfectly. That was when Kakashi had first appeared to the door of his dorm room. That was the first time they'd…

So that was how their relationship started…

_What I did was a huge mistake, but I hope from the bottom of my heart that you'll be able to forgive me someday. You were my best friend – it'd be unbearable to lose you because of something like this._

_I'm more sorry than you could ever imagine. And I wish you actually opened my letter this time around. If you want to talk, you know where to call._

_I miss you._

_Iruka_

For a very long time he simply stared at the letter, unable to do as much as breathe. It felt like there'd been ice instead of warm blood in his veins.

* * *

Naruto's eyes were bleary when he woke up to the pale light of the next morning, not entirely sure of where he was at first. When world finally cleared out, a huge grin spread to his face.

Apparently the foal and its mother had really made it through the harsh night, for they were both resting on the stall's floor, looking extremely adorable when bathing in sunlight. That sight, however, wasn't what got to him the most. For there, well nearby the horses and some blood from the animals staining his clothes, Sasuke had fallen into a slumber. The raven was shivering noticeably.

_So the teme was stupid enough to forget to dress warmly…_

At that moment, he couldn't hold himself back for another second. Tentatively – not daring to even think what'd happen if the Uchiha should wake up – he wrapped one arm around Sasuke, pulling the shivering teen slightly closer. He expected the raven to struggle violently even in his current condition. That's why he was beyond stunned when instead the boy leaned slightly closer with a barely audible sigh – clearly utterly drained – and rested his head against his shoulder.

It took his all to not chuckle, and something warm shuddered to life in his chest and stomach.

_No one would ever believe me if I'd tell them about this._

He yawned softly, just then realizing how tired he still was.

_Oh, what the heck? Just a couple of more minutes…_

Quite soon they were sleeping there together, with the very amused horses casting knowing glances their way.

* * *

Kakashi's eyes were barely open while he dragged himself through the hallways of a hospital, every cell in his being begging for rest.

He'd been awake for almost two days straight already! So why couldn't he sleep, even now that he knew Ino would be okay?

He wasn't brought out of those thoughts until he heard a female voice. " Hey, stop it! I may be pregnant, but that doesn't mean I'd be made of glass."

The next voice – male's – was so familiar that his heart almost stilled. " I know, 'Zune. I'm just so excited. What if the treatments finally worked and we'll get a sibling for Naruto?"

A lot more was spoken, but he heard none of it, for all his focus was locked to a man walking painfully nearby.

Same brown hair and eyes, same smile… Iruka Umino hadn't changed the slightest during all the years they'd spent apart (or so he thought from a brief glance). It was as though no time had passed at all.

And that familiarity, this sudden closeness, was too much for him.

-

When Iruka's frown shadowed gaze swept towards his direction a moment later, he was long gone.

* * *

It took all Shikamaru's courage, but in the end he did manage to open the door of Ino's hospital room that morning.

He was by no means someone who had excellent skills when it came to reading people. He was, however, definitely intelligent enough to realize that there was something wrong with how pale Ino was and how badly the girl shuddered.

No matter how worked up and even scared she was, the blonde created a skilful smile when hearing his presence and looking towards him. (He found himself wondering how many times she'd done he same trick when she'd still been a model.) " Hey. I wasn't expecting you to show up."

His eyes narrowed just a little. Some anger appeared into his system when he understood that this was how little the girl trusted him. " Ino, what's wrong?" he demanded while all but slumping to a chair beside her bed.

Truthfully, he would've never expected Ino to actually answer, and for a while she was clearly preparing herself for a pathetic lie. Then, like breaking through a damn, words came. " What's wrong?" she spat. " You're asking me what's wrong? Well, for starters, my father died. Then some freak shot my boyfriend, and now I'm knocked up! And to make things even more hilarious I'm stuck with a guy I barely know! _That's_ what's wrong!"

He felt like he'd been kicked straight in the gut, hard, and he was fairly sure he even gasped while his eyes widened for a moment.

_Pregnant…?!_

Ino's eyes were also widened by shock when she looked at him, quite obviously just then realizing what she'd said. " You're not going to tell… anyone, are you? Because if you do…"

He gasped pathetically before managing to utter. " I won't." He then blinked, desperate to get his usually sharp head back onto track. " So… What… are you going to do?"

He'd never seen Ino as vulnerable as she was when squeezing her blanket with desperate force, her eyes carrying a somewhat pleading look. " My mom's going to kill me when she finds out." She swallowed so that he could hear it. " Do you think Kakashi and Yamato will accept me back into Konoha?"

He'd never been good at comforting people. That's why it took a while before he found words. " Yeah, sure." Feeling a desperate need to flee the scene like some coward, he bounced up from his seat so fast that his head spun and started to sprint off. " I've… gotta go to the cafeteria. I need caffeine. I'll check up on you later." And so, with the worst excuse in the history of mankind, he was gone, all but gasping under the painful weight that'd appeared to his chest.

* * *

Gaara opened his eyes slowly while waking up, not quite sure if he wanted to become aware of this reality.

This was the most painful part of his forbidden meetings with Neji – the mornings when he woke up just as alone as he'd been for his entire life.

Or perhaps he would've wanted to be alone that particular morning, because the voice he heard definitely wasn't such he would've wanted to meet. " So you decided to wake up? Good. I was getting bored."

His eyes opened fully when he bolted into a sitting position, then narrowed at the person sitting in a chair nearby, skimming through one of his books. " What the hell are you doing in my room?"

Zaku Abumi's eyes flashed dangerously. " I wouldn't talk like that to a guy who could easily get you kicked out of this place or worse if you don't play nicely. Not to mention how much trouble I could get your little playmate into."

He frowned, some cold shivers crossing his form. " What are you talking about?"

Just one glance revealed how much Zaku enjoyed the situation. " I happened to meet your little… visitor last night." The boy kept a long, savoring pause. " In all honesty, I would've _never_ thought you to be that type."

For just a moment he thought about giving in to his urges and killing the boy right there. He restrained himself with several slightly ragged breaths. " What are you expecting me to do?"

The answer came after only a couple of seconds. " Pull him close, then smash his heart into tiny pieces. Break him beyond repair." Zaku looked at him directly into eyes. " Do that, or it'll be all over – for both of you."

He found himself shivering under rage that didn't compare to anything he would've felt before. " Why are you doing this?"

Zaku shrugged. " I've got my reasons. Now…" The boy rubbed his hands together. " Do we have a deal or not?"

He snorted, feeling like vomiting. " Do I have any fucking choice?"

* * *

Sun had already started its steady way up in the sky when Sasuke and Naruto finally entered the mansion.

Sasuke certainly didn't get worked up easily, but that was what he was that morning. The night before… It definitely wasn't something that should've happened, and he hadn't been prepared for such a thing. The most disturbing thing was that he wasn't entirely sure of _what_ had happened.

Naruto's voice barely managed to reach him. " Do you think those horses will be okay?"

He nodded, fighting the urge to yawn for the sake of his dignity. " They're both strong and healthy. They should be just fine."

Naruto stretched, appearing very relieved. " That's good." The boy hesitated for quite a while before uttering the about last words they would've expected. " Hey, teme… Thanks, for letting me be there."

He gave a 'Hn' at the exact same moment they appeared to a long hallway.

Almost as though working on instinct his eyes narrowed while he looked at the boy just before their roads would've parted. " One more thing, dobe." He went on as soon as the blonde looked at him. " If anyone finds out about last night, I'll put you through a punishment you couldn't have imagined even in your worst nightmares. Understood?"

He was almost surprised by how little the other was affected by his tone. Naruto rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, teme." Every single one of his muscles tensed up when the blonde outstretched a hand, ruffling his hair. " Now get some sleep, will you? You look like hell."

He snorted. " Idiot." His voice, however, wasn't as sharp as he would've wanted it to be.

While he watched Naruto's retreating back, heard the boy's incredibly innocent laughter, he couldn't keep himself from sinking into his thoughts.

Eventually he was coherent enough to look down, and blinked once with surprise. No matter how tightly his fists were balled, they hadn't moved an inch towards the blonde when the boy had touched him. Instead they were shivering uncontrollably, as though he'd been terrified or anxious to do something.

He frowned.

_What the hell is that idiot doing to me?_

" Sasuke?" Extremely uncharacteristically he almost jumped when hearing Sakura's voice. The girl's eyebrows were furrowed when she looked at him. (Quite absentmindedly, he noted that she looked like she hadn't slept a wink the night before.) " I just heard Naruto's voice. What's going on?"

" Nothing." His voice was tenser than he'd indented while he turned sharply, heading towards the nearest door. " You've pleaded me to show you the new foal as soon as it's born. So are you coming or what?"

While walking, he came to a solemn conclusion.

He was extremely relieved that almost two weeks had already passed. Because the rest of the two months Naruto would spend in Konoha were turning out to be unbearable and dangerous.

-

While watching the raven go, Sakura shook her head. " And you call him a dobe…", she muttered inaudibly before starting to follow.

* * *

Once back in the safety of his room, Naruto slumped heavily to his bed with a frown. He couldn't understand what the heat spiraling underneath his skin was. More out of curiosity than anything else he lay a hand to his chest, and his presumption was confirmed. His heart was jumping far faster than it should've.

_What the hell did that teme do to me?!_

" Are you okay?"

Not having registered Neji's presence before he jumped and emitted a tiny squeak. He took a breath before managing to speak. " Yeah." His eyes narrowed a bit, but not at the Hyuuga. " This is Sasuke-teme's doing."

Neji observed him for a while, seeming deep in thought, then gained an expression he couldn't recognize. " You know, Naruto… I recognize that look."

His frown from before deepened significantly. " What are you saying?"

Had such been a part of his repertoire, the Hyuuga would've probably seemed amused. " All I can tell you at this point, is that you're in for a wild ride."

* * *

In Tokyo, shrill dial tone of a cell phone woke a person from deep thoughts. The phone call was responded after the tiny apartment's soul inhabitant cleared their throat. " Yeah?"

" _Hey, it's Kakashi._" With just those words, it was confirmed that something was out of place. " _I noticed that you tried to call me today. Is something wrong?_"

A sharp inhale through nose could be heard. There was a moment's pause before words came. " I… think I'll be coming to Konoha, for a month or so."

Kakashi's frown could almost be sensed. " _What about your studies?_"

Another pause, and even sharper intake of breath. " I think I need a little break. Besides, I've been neglecting Sasuke lately."

" _In that case welcome home._" It didn't take all that much to hear how pleased the silver haired man was. " _I can't wait to see the looks upon Sasuke and Yamato's faces when they hear you're coming back – they've missed you._"

There was a somewhat wet sound. " I've missed them, too. Just don't tell them before I get there, okay?" The speaker took a moment before going on. " I'll see you in a couple of days."

" _See you. And have a safe flight._"

The caller wasn't sure if he remembered to utter a word before hanging up.

There was a long moment of extremely tense, shuddering silence before numbers were dialed. Quite soon there was a response. " Dr. Yuuhi? It's Itachi. I just called to tell that I've been thinking about your suggestion…"

* * *

TBC, if you will.

* * *

A/N: Ah, so Itachi makes his appearance. And it seems there's a lot cooking up…

It seems I'm still in a bit of hurry, so I'll have to get going. But first… **PLEASE, DO REVIEW**! Right now my life is so hectic that I could really use every single ounce of support I can get. (glances with huge, irresistible eyes)

Until next time! I really hope it won't take THIS long, and that you'll all be there then!

Take care!

To those who'd wish to read more from me after this one…

There's a poll on my profile as to which Naru(fem)Sasu fic I should start to work on next. Feel free to check it out and vote if you will, yeah? (smirks)


	5. Everyone’s Watching You Now

A/N: WOAH! For once, an update after reasonably short break. (wipes sweat from forehead) I've been running around like a headless chicken lately, so I'm stunned I actually managed to scrabble up this one. But, I got a spur of inspiration after a creepy dream a couple of days ago, so here we are. (grins)

First of all, MASSIVE thank yous for those heartwarming reviews you guys have bothered to send me! (HUGS) Do you have any idea of how much it means to me that there are readers out there waiting for an update? And also thank you so much for all those listings – gosh, there's quite a number of you guys already! THANK YOU! (**Anonymous reviewers**, responses to your comments can be found from underneath the chappy, un.)

Okay, because I doubt my rambling would be the reason to why you're here, let's get going, yeah? I REALLY hope you'll enjoy!

WARNING: Due to my busy schedule, my proofreading absolutely stinks. (winces) Bear with me, yeah? It shouldn't go on forever.

* * *

That night, Naruto didn't wake up to nightmares or his own scream. Instead he felt an ominous slash, as though someone or something had been calling him.

Not making much of a sound he struggled out of the hold of his bedcovers and tiptoed to the room's window, looking down. What he found made him feel more than he would've ever expected.

There, a motorbike of some sort just stopped not too far from the mansion, and both the driver and passenger removed their helmets. He was surprised to discover Sasuke and some tall boy with shortcut, spiked up hair and pale eyes. A shudder crossed him although he didn't know why.

_What the heck…?_

Then, came the part that practically set his chest on fire.

Sasuke seemed to shudder a little when the boy wrapped a pair of arms around him, then kissed the raven hard and whispered something into the boy's ear. (He found himself wishing he could've read lips.) Seconds ticking by seemed to take ages before the mysterious boy finally took off and Sasuke started to saunter towards the stables with an unreadable expression.

Naruto found himself frowning, and a sick feeling seemed to be rising in the pit of his stomach, intensifying when the image of those two became imprinted to the back of his head.

_Am I coming down with something?_

' _No, kit._'

His eyes widened and he failed to breathe for a moment, causing his face to grow ashen.

_No, no, no…!_

That voice… It'd been quiet for so long. Why…?

' _Didn't I tell you not to trust people? They only make things painful and complicated._'

His breath hitched while he fought furiously to regain some composure. His eyes were on fire, and he could feel tears only an inch from falling. His whole frame shuddered miserably. " Shut up", he growled lowly through gritted teeth. _Please, please, please…_

" Naruto?" He jumped a bit, not having heard Neji enter through the room's window. The boy – who seemed alarmingly pale – had a frown upon his face. " You okay?"

If he'd learned anything during his short life, it was that there was only one proper way to answer that question. And therefore he forced himself to smile. " Yup, I'm fine." He spoke again soon to keep the Hyuuga from noticing how badly he was still trembling. " What are you doing back already, anyway? Weren't you supposed to be at Gaara's?"

The look upon the brunette's face – even though it remained less than a blink – answered far more loudly than any words. " He… was busy." The boy then composed himself, expression turning perfectly normal. " Let's go to bed, okay? It's late."

He nodded wordlessly, the idea of going back to bed only intensifying his nausea from before.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't be spared from nightmares anymore. All he could do was hope that things would be better in the morning…

* * *

Those three teens weren't the only people awake in the mansion.

Kakashi emitted a deep sigh when watching Sasuke disappear into shadows with Bucephalus. (1) " Looks like we'll have to talk to him in the morning."

Yamato, who was standing quite nearby, nodded, seeming to be deep in thought. " Yeah." Had he been less worked up, he would've found something odd from how unresponsive, almost cold, the brunette was. (Had been since Kakashi had returned from Kyoto with Ino and Shikamaru.) The man turned towards the bed. " We should try to get some sleep. We won't get anything sorted out before the morning, anyway."

He nodded, head buzzing with thoughts so badly that he barely heard the other. " Hmm."

He didn't know for how long he'd been in the bed, wide awake, before he heard silent steps pass by their room when Sasuke came in. He found it hard to not sigh again.

At the moment, he was even happier than before about the fact that Itachi would show up the next day. Because he didn't think there was anyone else in the world who'd be able to help.

Carefully making sure that Yamato wouldn't wake up to his movements he climbed out of the bed.

He could as well go to have some tea, because there was no way he'd get any sleep that night.

(Of course, he should've known Yamato well enough to know that the brunette was having the same problem.)

* * *

Chapter 5: Everyone's Watching You Now

* * *

Late in the following morning, Sasuke was just sneaking his way towards the mansion's door after taking an aspirin when Kakashi's very familiar voice caused him to halt. " So there you are." The man's tone was a loud warning of what was to come. " I think we need to have a talk."

He flashed his eyes skywards and took a deep breath, then turned around, his eyes as hard as always and arms folded. " Talk about what, exactly?" Like he hadn't had a guess already…

" I saw you come home last night." Now, Kakashi's voice carried what sounded like a carefully trained calm tone. " Sasuke, exactly what are you doing – and with him of all people?"

He felt trapped and out of breath, as though someone had been suffocating him to death, and only his willpower kept him from sprinting away. " Just drop it, will you?" They could both tell that wasn't a request. " I'm too old to have a babysitter."

He could hear the sigh Kakashi swallowed. " In that case, I suggest you to not act like you'd need one." The man's eyes hardened a bit. " Sasuke, you're fifteen, and you're trying to act like someone half older. You don't have to wrestle with all there's going on inside your head all alone."

For just a moment, he feared his resolve would crumble. But in the end he managed to lift his chin and create an expression that clearly stated he wasn't about to carry on this rather unilateral conversation for another second. " Are you through?"

This time, the silver haired sighed out loud. " Yeah – for now."

He nodded sharply, then – without taking another glance over his shoulder – started to walk away. It was until he was at a safe distance he realized that he'd been holding his breath.

* * *

Naruto had been uncharacteristically jumpy ever since the rather disturbing night before, and every fibre of his being was waiting with terror for _it_ to reappear. Fortunately, he'd been left alone – for now, at least. He'd even managed to get himself somewhat distracted for a while.

He paid no attention to the thin, still rare and welcomed smile playing on Haku's face while he gloated with excitement when entering the mansion. " That was amazing – I'm never riding with a saddle again!" His hands moved wildly. " I swear, I _felt_ that horse's muscles move!"

Haku's tiny smile grew just a bit. " It seemed you two were made for each other." The boy gave him a swift glance. " You know, for someone who started only a couple of weeks ago you're pretty skilled."

He could tell his grin was ridiculously bright, but at the moment he found no reason to care. " Thanks." Just before their roads parted he spoke out once more. " Hey, Haku?" He went on as soon as the raven glanced his way with a questioning expression. " If the teme asks, don't tell him I fell flat on my ass twice, yeah?"

He was pretty sure the other came close to chuckling while walking away. " Don't worry – my lips are sealed."

Once the boy had disappeared from sight he found himself sauntering towards kitchen. He hadn't eaten proper breakfast that morning; he was starving. But he never made it that far, because after only five steps something warm and soft collided against him.

He gave a small growl, hunger making him more agitated than usually. " Hey, watch it!" Looking up, he was mildly surprised when finding Sasuke. The boy was trembling while clearly holding back tears, a scream or both. He frowned. " What's up with you?"

Sasuke's eyes were hard when meeting his, but something seemed to be amiss. " None of your business. Now let me through, dobe. I don't want to stand around here all day."

He frowned, feeling a flash he didn't like. Something was badly wrong here.

Faster than his thought worked his hand wrapped around Sasuke's wrist with a merciless grip, and he could've sworn he heard a hiss. Just as he'd expected the Uchiha tried to wiggle away, and a strange bandage he only then noticed covering the boy's wrist loosened, then fell off. He was granted the about last view he would've expected.

He heard a ragged gasp, and it took a moment before he realized that it was coming from him. " Shit… Sasuke…"  
There – right before his widened eyes, decorating nearly white skin – were countless of scars, some of them so deep it chilled him. What made the sight far more disturbing than the marks he'd seen on Haku was that some of the cuts were fresh, no more than a day old.

His eyes had never been as wide as they were when meeting the other's onyx ones, desperately trying to find an answer of some sort. " S-Sasuke, what…?" His voice failed him.

A look he could only call trapped appeared into the raven's eyes while they narrowed, and he didn't manage to outstretch a hand to keep the Uchiha from taking three steps backwards. " What does it look like?" the boy spat out.

He fought the urge to scoff. " Like idiocy", he replied with utter sincerity, and fought with himself for a while to regain composure. " Teme, I don't know why you're doing something like this, but you need help. You've gotta stop doing this to yourself."

" So you want to help me? Fix me?" The Uchiha's breathing wheezed dangerously while the boy grit his teeth. " Then leave me alone. I'm not a charity case, so piss off – for both our sakes."

At that moment, he simply boiled. His eyes narrowed while he slammed his hands so that he was entrapping the Uchiha against a nearby wall. He'd never wanted to punch anyone as badly. " You think I consider you a charity case?" he all but snarled. " Wake up already, damnit! Don't you see what you're doing?" His breathing was sharp, like a whip. " I'm not going to let you die, do you understand?"

Although the boy's expression didn't change the slightest Sasuke shuddered barely traceably – because of their close proximity, his words or for some other reason entirely, he didn't know. The boy seemed to come close to saying something before glancing over his shoulder and tensing up completely.

Standing by a nearby doorway was a boy in his very late teens who looked so much like Sasuke that it baffled him. He saw the younger raven take a breath before the boy started to walk towards the older. Just before out of earshot, the Uchiha glanced over his shoulder with a threatening glare. " Oh yeah, and dobe… Not a word about this to anyone. Got that?" And so saying the boy walked away, sealing their conversation.

A slash of something he couldn't name spread through the air when the two boys met, then exchanged a few words and walked out of the mansion.

He didn't know exactly how many seconds had passed with him watching the direction to which the two ravens had disappeared until a voice he would've never wanted to hear again sounded in his head once more. ' _Do you see it now, kit? No matter how hard you try, it'll never be enough. You'll never be enough like them to be accepted._'

He took several short, sharp breaths, managing to make himself feel dizzy. ' _Just let go, will you? I can tell how much pain that constant battle against me brings you. So give up and let me have some fun._'

" Naruto?" His nerves strained to their extreme, he spun around with his fist lifted at the sound of a female voice, and only Sakura's stony grab kept him from punching her accidentally. Green eyes flashed with near fear and something else, making him feel even worse than he had already. " What the heck is going on?! You've been whimpering for at least the past minute, and you looked ready to pass out."

He swallowed thickly, and restrained a wince when feeling a foreign, tart taste in his mouth. " I'm… fine, Sakura-chan. Honestly."

Sakura smacked his head gently, making him tremble although he wasn't entirely sure why. " You're a horrible liar. You do know that, right?" While her lips kept moving, the very unwanted voice from before assaulted his ears again. ' _What an annoyingly persistent individual. A feisty one, though._'

' _I swear…_' It took his all to not hiss out loud. ' _If you touch her…_'

He zoned back into present at the sight of a glass of water being handed towards him. Sakura was looking at him with a quirked eyebrow. " To me, that's not fine", she stated.

Not having the urge to start out an argument at the moment, he accepted the welcomed glass with a look of gratitude. Just when he took a sip the voice spoke once more.

' _I wouldn't go for her. But that Uchiha, on the other hand… Don't tell me you wouldn't want to try._'

His hand squeezed around the glass, so tightly that it broke and shards pierced his skin. He winced and gave a tiny mew when blood was drawn.

_Oh man…_

" Naruto, what the…?!" Then seeing his wounds, Sakura cussed under her breath. He gave a cry when she took his hand to examine it, although the gesture didn't hurt that much with all the adrenaline speeding through his veins. " You should show those two Tsunade – they must be painful."

He shook his head roughly. There was no way he'd let _anyone_ else know about this – he didn't want to get kicked out of here, too. " No!" Realizing how hastily and unconvincingly the response had come he spoke again. " No – it's okay. So… Don't tell anyone, please." He waved his good hand a bit before moving it to shield the injured one, and managed to create a weak smile although it hurt. " See you at dinnertime." He was gone before Sakura could take two breaths.

-

The teens, of course, didn't know that there was a pair of ears listening to them.

Yamato frowned, a thoughtful look rising to his features.

He'd been contemplating leaving since finding out Kakashi's secret. Now, he had a good reason to stall for just a little bit longer to find out if there was still something to stay for.

* * *

Ino groaned while shifting into a new position in the mansion's library, squinting her eyes hazardously at the book of maternity she was trying to read.

She'd been suffering from a constant headache since finding out about the new life growing inside her. The fact that she was terrified beyond any belief didn't make things any easier.

" Ino." Judging by Shikamaru's tone the boy had been calling out her name for a long time already. " Kakashi asked if you could help him prepare lunch."

She shrugged, quivering at the mere idea of what all the smells of those foods would do to her ailing stomach. " Sure."

Shikamaru remained silent but didn't leave, which surprised them both. In the end the boy spoke with apparent uneasiness. " So… You haven't told Kakashi and Yamato, have you?"

Her eyes, suddenly finding great interest to the book before her once more, flashed. " No. And I'm not planning to, yet at least."

" Then what are you going to do? It doesn't exactly stay hidden forever." The boy scratched his head, and she could tell that whatever was to come wasn't easy for the brunette to utter. " Look… If you want help, just ask me. Okay?"

She had to use all her willpower to not sigh loudly and slam her head against something hard until she'd pass out.

There were already far more men than she would've wanted in her life. She sure as hell didn't need this one, too.

" Shikamaru." It took her all to keep her tone from shuddering a bit. " I know you're only trying to help, and I appreciate it. But right now my head is so busy that if any more people try to butt in it'll blow up completely. So please, give me some space, okay?" She wondered if it was even possible for a voice to sound pleading and sharp at the same time, but hers did.

At first Shikamaru simply stared at her, like she'd been an alien of some sort. Then, the boy blinked once slowly. " O."

She groaned inwardly. _Awesome. So now I offended him._ She opened her mouth, but before any words came out she had to slam a hand to her lips when nausea washed over like a tideway. " Sorry", she barely managed. " Gotta go."

While throwing up loudly into a toilet less than a minute later, she mused with bitter amusement that she was probably the first woman in the history of mankind who was relieved by morning sickness.

* * *

While approaching his room, Haku was somewhat stunned to find Hinata there, leaning against his door with a nervous expression and biting her lip. " Hey", he greeted, immediately regretting speaking when the girl jumped with startle. " What are you doing here?"

The girl blushed far harder than should've been possible. " I… I came… t-to ask y-you… for a w-walk." Her blush deepened still while she looked away. " I… I'll just go…"

He shook his head, finding himself smiling. (_Odd_, he mused inside his head. He'd been doing that a lot lately.) " No, no, it's okay. I'd like to go." He felt some heat on his cheeks, but quickly brushed it off as a trick of imagination. " So… Where would you like to take me?"

-

They walked for about ten minutes before stopping to a grass covered hill that opened up an amazing view to a small, brightly sparkling river.

He blinked for a couple of times. " It's beautiful in here." He glanced towards the girl, feeling a pleasant shiver when noticing how close to him she was. " How did you find this place?"

Once more a slight hue appeared to the young Hyuuga's face. " I w-went for a w-walk one day a-and found t-this. I c-come here e-everyday."

He nodded with a soft expression. For the first time in years all his muscles were completely relaxed. " Thank you, for bringing me here."

While Hinata's blush from before deepened dramatically, he felt an uncharacteristic bout of determination and decided to do something very risky. He could actually feel Hinata jump a bit when he planted his lips to her cheek. Most likely surprised, she turned her head – and their lips met chastely before they both jolted backwards, their cheeks glowing. Without saying a word they went back to admiring the landscape, out of mutual agreement deciding to not talk about the recent event just yet.

Haku's head was buzzing just a little bit while he licked his lips.

He didn't understand what the flutter inside him was just yet. But he did know that he wanted to feel it again.

-

Unfortunately, the teens weren't alone, for from a car parked to a nearby small road a pair of flaming pale eyes watched them.

Hiashi Hyuuga grit his teeth so hard that they emitted a screech.

He didn't care if his ex-wife said that this was the best place for their daughter, for he could now see that it was anything but. Whatever it'd take, he'd get Hinata away from Konoha before it'd be too late.

* * *

Silence lingered for a while with the Uchiha brothers sitting on the mansion's porch, eyes directed to the landscape spreading around them.

In the end Sasuke braced himself and broke the silence. " Why did you come back?" His voice carried a sharp edge, and he had to swallow thickly before managing to go on. " I thought you were busy with studies."

" I was." Itachi's voice was softer than he'd remembered. " But then I decided that it's more important for me to be here."

For some reason those words offered him a wave of comfort.

" Sasuke… I just talked to Tsunade. She couldn't really tell me a thing, of course, but I know she's very worried about you." He could feel his brother's eyes on him, and didn't dare to look that way. " What's going on?"

His eyes narrowed. _Not this again…!_ " I'm alive and kicking. There's nothing else you'd need to know."

Did Itachi just roll his eyes with a sigh? There was some silence before his brother went on. " That new, blonde kid… I can tell he cares about you. You shouldn't keep pushing him away, too – it hurts him."

He was fairly sure a tiny flash could be seen in his eyes. " Whatever." He wished he'd managed to sound more indifferent.

Another long silence passed with them admiring the surroundings deep in thought until Itachi spoke once more. " I'm glad I came back. I'd forgotten how good it feels to be home."

He found himself relaxing a bit now that the topic had changed. This was almost like back when they'd been kids, before… " Hn."

Surprisingly enough he didn't struggle when Itachi closed a hand around his, the protective gesture making him feel slightly warmer than he had some moments ago. Only his pride kept him from resting his head against his brother's shoulder. His hand twitched, but didn't find the strength to grab.

It was the only way he could find to say ' _I've missed you, too_'.

Neither noticed minutes passing while they sat there in a comfortable silence, both deep in thought.

* * *

That evening, which had already almost turned into night, there was a look of steely determination in Neji's eyes when he sneaked through Gaara's window.

The redhead – who'd just been writing something – seemed nearly startled once noticing him. " Neji? I thought you weren't going to come tonight."

He took a deep breath, feeling more nervous than ever in his life. " We have to talk." Seeing the other's slightly questioning look, he went on with surprising ease. " You've been avoiding me for the past few days, and when we meet you barely touch me anymore. So what the hell is going on? Have I hurt you?"

" No!" Gaara seemed to take a breath. " No, you haven't. It's just…" The boy's lips moved, but no words came.

Apparently, words weren't even needed. For just then his eyes moved to what Gaara had been writing, and his heart skipped so many beats that he thought it'd stopped.

There were only few words, but they were more than enough.

' _I can't go on like this. I'm sorry._'

He stared into Gaara's eyes with a wild mixture of emotions whirling inside his stomach, but found none of what he'd been begging to meet. " Gaara… What is this?"

The redhead gulped thickly, no expression upon chalk white face. " I'm… sorry."

It took his all to fight against the storm of emotions bubbling inside. " A week ago, you said…" He trailed off, not wanting to say those words in fear they'd make his stomach lose control.

Gaara seemed to tremble a bit, but there was still no trace of emotion on the boy's face. " I lied – I thought you would've figured that much out by now."

At the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care about how pathetic he looked when doing so, he didn't even pay any attention to what he was doing. He escaped through the window and simply ran, having no clue of where he was going.

-

Gaara didn't know what he would've done if the door behind him hadn't been opened up just then. " Excellent job", Zaku complimented. " I would've never expected even you to be capable of such cruelty."

His eyes narrowed, and his fists shuddered while he balled them. " Get… the hell out", he hissed. " Get the hell out before I'll kill you."

He could almost see Zaku's shrug. " Whatever." There was a breath of air, caused by the room's door closing, just before the boy spoke for the last time. " And hey, thanks."

Had he been in some other state of mind, he might've been confused by those words. But at the moment all he managed to do was bury his face into both hands, gasping for air.

-

When walking through the orphanage's door, Zaku wasn't surprised to meet Hiashi Hyuuga. " I've done my part of the deal." He outstretched a hand. " I'm expecting you to do yours."

Without saying a word the man gave him a thick pile of billetes. " Good. Maybe my nephew's finally learned his lesson." The Hyuuga then turned around, starting to leave. " I'll keep in touch."

Not bothering to observe the man's retreating back, he lowered his gaze to the money he'd just received. Icy smirk appeared to his features.

Yes, his deal had been to get Neji away from Gaara. But the contract had never said anything about _him_ staying away from the young Hyuuga…

* * *

Yamato's eyes barely moved when Kakashi entered the mansion's kitchen. " How's the gang doing?" the brunette inquired while taking a sip of his tea.

" Naruto and Sasuke have calmed down – until they run into each other again, at least. Ino and Neji are sulking. We'll better keep an eye on them, especially the mother to be. Hinata and Haku seem content." He tilted his head just a little, finding himself observing. He wasn't an idiot – he could tell something was wrong. " And we should talk before another chaos erupts."

One of the things that'd made him fall for Yamato was that the man _never_ ran away from problems. That's why he was surprised when the brunette all but bounced up, obviously preparing for an escape. " There's some paperwork I'll have to do, and I'm tired. Let's talk tomorrow, 'k?" And the man was gone before he could say another word.

At that exact same moment Itachi walked into the room. The older Uchiha gave a slight frown. " Is there something going on between you two?"

Had such been a part of his personality, he would've laughed dryly. " I… have no idea." This time his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed how the teen rubbed his temple with two fingers, face paler than usually. " Are you okay?"

" Yeah", the Uchiha breathed out, taking a glass of water. " It's just a bit of headache, that's all."

He couldn't help feeling a bang of sympathy. With Itachi having tried to talk to Sasuke for two hours, headache was to be expected.

Quite absentmindedly he observed how the raven took some medicine and gulped down the water. " I'm glad you're here", he stated, meaning it from the bottom of his heart. " And not just for Sasuke's sake."

The Uchiha seemed to come close to either smiling or scowling. " Thanks." He noted that the boy's hand trembled just a bit when he put away the water glass. " It's been a long day – I'm going to bed. You should do the same before you'll start to think too much again."

He smiled just a bit. " I will. Goodnight."

The boy waved his hand while going. " 'Night."

It wasn't until about thirty seconds after the Uchiha's disappearance he realized something. Those pills the raven had taken…

_Opiates?_

He felt very cold and even nauseated all of a sudden.

_Something isn't right here._

He then groaned, feeling a headache kicking in.

Why did all problems have to appear simultaneously?

* * *

Just like during so many nights before, Sasuke couldn't find rest. What he hadn't expected, however, was to find someone else awake as well when walking into the kitchen. There, sitting in a chair with his back to him, was Naruto. Hard as he tried, he couldn't deny feeling a tiny bang when noticing how the blonde's shoulders quaked.

He waited for a couple of seconds before making his presence known. " What's wrong, dobe?"

The boy jolted and took a moment before responding. " Bite me, teme." He was fairly sure he heard a sniff through those words.

He snorted. " Those threats aren't your thing, deadlast."

After thinking about it for a moment he took a glass of water and took a chair beside the boy.

They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence for a long time until he stunned himself with breaking it. " I heard you managed to ride without a saddle today." He caught a spark in the blonde's eyes, and wondered why his chest turned just a little bit lighter. " You're going to show me tomorrow."

Whatever had been plaguing Naruto, the boy immediately perked up at those words. " Oh, I'm gonna do much more than show you. I'll make you look like a wuss."

He gave an amused smirk. " We'll see about that."

Unfortunately a huge part of his effectiveness was eaten away by the fact that as soon as those words left his mouth, his stomach churned so loudly that it shouldn't have been humanly possible. He groaned inwardly.

_Great…_

-

Naruto's ears had always been sharp. Now, they twitched at the sound of Sasuke's stomach growling.

He fought the urge to smack the raven's head. " Teme, I didn't see you during lunch or dinner today. When's the last time you ate properly?"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, and for a while he prepared himself for an attack of some sort. Nothing such came, instead the boy only folded his arms. " I… don't remember."

He scoffed. " Geez, and you keep calling _me_ an idiot…" He took a huge orange from a nearby fruit basket and offered it sternly towards the other, receiving a harsh look. " I know you won't accept my help, but I won't let you starve to death, okay? So you've got two options – you eat this, or I'll use it as a throwing weapon. Which one do you choose?"

Sasuke threw him a death glare, but in the end took the fruit rather roughly. " Idiot."

He rolled his eyes, feeling a smirk wanting to show despite all recent stress. " Right now, I think that's my line."

After that they sat in almost companionable silence.

When he looked down about ten minutes later, he found something that shocked him and was baffled by the fact that Sasuke hadn't noticed it yet.

At some point, their hands had laced together, holding on gently.

* * *

In a buss about two hours from Konoha a driver named Gai (or Guy, as most preferred to call him) took a look at his rearview mirror to discover that he had only one passenger left that day. Sitting on a seat nearby was a boy with slightly long grown silvery hair, dark eyes and eyeglasses. The teen appeared to be so deep in thought that he didn't seem to be even in this world anymore.

He mused for a moment, then came to a decision.

He'd had a long day, and he was becoming bored out of his mind. He needed entertainment.

" So…", he started, somewhat surprised to discover that he actually managed to gain the boy's attention. " You're from Kyoto, right?"

The boy didn't look his way, instead focused on cars passing by while nodding slightly. " Hmm."

He wasn't shaken off quite that easily. " What takes you all the way here?" The only bigger place he knew to be even somewhat nearby was Konoha ranch, and he found it hard to come up with a reason to why this kid would be going there willingly.

" Love." The somewhat sharp response came so suddenly that he jumped on his seat. The boy's eyes were still fixed elsewhere. " Or something like that."

He blinked, not quite able to hide his surprise. " Oh." Then, one of the wide grins he was quite known for amongst his friends appeared. " Well, in that case I'm wishing you good luck. Though I doubt you'll need it – any girl would go head over heals for a guy who does something like this for them."

The teen responded nothing, only stared out the window with eyes that clearly stated nothing more would be said during the drive.

He shrugged to himself, then started to whistle while focusing on the road once more.

_I always get the weirdest cases_, he mused somewhat darkly.

* * *

TBC, right?

* * *

1) Because I'm not a sadist enough to expect you to remember… That's the name of Sasuke's 'demon horse'. It was mentioned in some earlier chapters.

* * *

A/N: And there comes Kabuto. And Hiashi's out of control, as is Zaku – and _it_ inside Naruto. (shudders)

I REALLY have to get going now, but before that… **PLEASE**, do leave a review, yeah? They'd be appreciated, believe it! (casts pleading glances with HUGE eyes)

Until next chapter, folks – 'hope I'll see you then!

Be good!

* * *

**me :P**: Love it? (grins insanely brightly) Awww – happy to hear!

Huge thank yous for the review! I REALLY hope the chapter was worth the wait.


	6. Everyone's Here

A/N: I'd lie saying it didn't require some effort, but here it is, and after a reasonably short gap, too! WOO-HOO! (jumps all over the place until someone shoots a tranquilizer dart)

First things first, of course. ENORMOUS thank yous for those heart melting reviews you've taken time to send me! (HUGS, and also gives some juicy muffins) I can't even begin to describe how much your support means to me, especially with how hectic everything is right now. THANK YOU!

(takes a deep breath)

Okay, I suppose there's no reason to stall it any longer. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, here's chapter six! I seriously hope you'll have a good time with it!

* * *

/ **Five Days Later. **/

* * *

No matter how hard he tried to deny it, Naruto was forced to admit that he loved riding sessions with Sasuke. Each day they went just a little bit further, and during their trips no problems managed to concern them. It was just they and their horses – no earthly sorrows could get in the way. Even _it _never managed to disturb him when he spent time with Sasuke, and especially with how difficult the past week had been he welcomed the moments of peace with open arms.

Laying in the warm grass, he found himself becoming mesmerized by amazingly blue, clear sky. " Hey, teme… Do you ever think about the future?" He had no idea of where the question came from, but it felt important at the moment. " I mean… You can't just stay here forever. Where are you going from here? Because I'm going to be the world's greatest musician."

One of Sasuke's eyebrows actually moved up at this. " Really, now?"

He nodded determinedly, finding it easy to grin. " Yup. I've been playing since I was five." He didn't feel like adding that it was not just his only hobby, but quite often also the one thing keeping him sane. " I'll become the best, and travel to every single part of the world."

The Uchiha snorted, albeit involuntarily affectionately, then yawned. " You really are a dobe."

He scoffed. " Geez, if my company is _that _boring, what are you still doing here?"

A hand reached out to swat his head. " Not everything is caused by you, dobe. I haven't slept well, and I didn't even get my usual coffee this morning."

He looked towards the raven, noting that the boy indeed seemed exhausted. There was quite obviously a lot more nights than one the other hadn't spent resting. " Then why don't you just close your eyes and sleep? I'll wake you up before the sun manages to toast you."

Sasuke pushed himself up and walked up to his horse, starting to tend it. " It's… not that easy", the Uchiha murmured, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Most likely not really knowing what he was doing the boy stroke his horse's fur, causing the animal to emit a sound of pleasure.

Naruto tilted his head, feeling confused. To his dismay his intended questions were pushed to later when the raven's cell phone snapped to life, causing Bucephalus to move nervously. He was somewhat puzzled by the changes he saw in Sasuke's eyes while the boy read a text message. " What's up?" he inquired before managing to stop himself.

" We should go back", Sasuke announced, pushing himself effortlessly to his horse's back.

He pouted, reluctantly getting up from his comfortable position. " Are you sure we can't stay, for at least a little bit longer?" he tried to bargain.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. " Just get on with it, and I may consider bringing you back here tomorrow."

He fought the urge to sigh while they started to ride towards the mansion.

It was time to get back to reality.

* * *

CHAPTER 6: Everyone's Here

* * *

When they got to the front yard of the mansion, Sasuke's eyes were quick to spot a familiar figure waiting in the shadows. It was hard for him to hold back a growl. " Didn't I tell you not to show up here unannounced? You know what Kakashi and Yamato think about _this_."

Juugo shrugged when stepping into light. " I can take their annoyance if you can." The boy's eyes moved towards Naruto, and flashed with something for a moment. " Who's your friend?"

Naruto grinned, but he could see the gesture wasn't as bright and unrestrained as usually. " Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." Blue eyes turned to him. " I… suppose I won't tell Kakashi about this."

He nodded and restrained a sigh. He hated making Naruto lie and hide things, but the idea of his foster parents finding out about this didn't sound appealing, either. " I'll see you later."

Even though Naruto smiled when waving a bit and going, there seemed to be a stinging sensation in his chest when he watched the blonde go, though he couldn't understand why.

He shuddered when Juugo wrapped a pair of arms around his waistline and kissed his suddenly very hot neck. " Why were you in a rush like this to see me?" he inquired, leaning his head towards the other.

" I missed you", the taller boy replied. He could immediately tell that wasn't the only reason. " Plus, I wanted to make sure you won't miss the rave this weekend."

He turned around, slamming his lips hard against the other's. " I won't back down", he breathed out as soon as the kiss ended, eyes closed.

Although he didn't look, he could tell Juugo was watching him. " Do you want to get out of here?"

He nodded wordlessly, and waited for a couple of moments before speaking. " I'll just take Bucephalus to it's stall, then we'll go."

When they left a couple of minutes later, he could've sworn he sensed someone looking but shrugged it off as a trick of imagination.

* * *

Once entering he and Yamato's bedroom, Kakashi gave a deep breath and rubbed his temple with two fingers. " I just don't understand what we'll have to do with that boy." It wasn't until then he opened his eyes, and his eyebrows furrowed. " What are you doing?"

Right before him, Yamato was stuffing clothes into a huge bag, clearly preparing for a long takeoff. Brown eyes seemed agitated when finding his. " I've… been thinking about this for a while now. And… You've got Itachi here, as well as Tsunade, Shikamaru and Sakura. I'm leaving for a while – this is the best time."

His eyebrows knitted together even more tightly. Where was this coming from? " Why?" He took some long steps, making it all the way to the other man. " Yama…"

He reached out a hand to touch the brunette, only to find it being slapped away. Yamato's eyes carried several emotions the man couldn't keep hidden. " Please, just… Just don't. Not now."

Kakashi felt a lot of warmth seeping from his body, and he fought the urge to sigh. " You found out about Iruka, didn't you?" _This should've been dealt with a long a time ago…_

Yamato seemed startled for a moment – obviously not having expected him to figure things out – but then looked away, eyes uncharacteristically narrowed. " You know, when we started out I was warned about you. People said you weren't the type that'd settle with just one person." The man's eyes smoldered when meeting his. " Still, I would've never expected you to hurt me. I guess I thought what we have would be something different."

For just a moment his eyes widened. _Does he really think I'd…?!_ But then again, he couldn't really blame the man at the moment. " Yamato, I'd _never_ do something like that to you – you have to know that much after all the years we've been together. I love you."

Yamato stared at him with slightly visible bewilderment for a moment, then frowned. " What about Iruka?"

He inhaled deeply through his nose, one of the most painful days in his entire life replaying before his eyes. " He was my best friend since we were five. I was fifteen when I started to wonder if there could be something more between us, and seven years ago… Well, I was drunk, and brave. I tried to show him how confused I was." It took a lot of him to not bite his lip. " I tried to kiss him, and he… didn't take it all that well. I couldn't stand it so I fled. That's when I ran into you."

Yamato snorted bitterly. " What a lovely beginning of a relationship…"

He winced a bit. He'd deserved that. " But it did end up well, right?"

Yamato remained silent for unnervingly long, until brown eyes finally searched through his. " Do you love him, too?"

Fortunately, he didn't hesitate before answering. " I may have thought so for a while, but I've learned quite a bit in seven years."

Yamato nodded, and to his tremendous relief he noticed that the brunette's face had calmed down a little. " Good." The man took a deep breath, running a hand through strands of brown hair. " I just wish you'd told me, that you would've trusted me enough."

" I know." _I wish I had, too._ He bit the inner skin of his cheek and tried to meet Yamato's eyes, but failed. " I'm sorry."

A tiny bit of the warmth he'd lost returned when the brunette nodded softly with approval. Obviously, this was a good start for fixing a glorious mistake.

He was about to speak more, until marching steps from the hallway cut him short. They looked at each other with serious, knowing glances.

Something _very_ unpleasant was about to happen.

* * *

Hinata wasn't entirely sure of where she was when she woke up to a warmth she didn't remember feeling ever before. She trembled with startle, then allowed her eyes to fly open. What she found made everything inside her turn blissfully warm.

There, one arm wrapped almost protectively around her, Haku sat on her bed, still fast asleep and a tiny frown upon his face, as though he'd been having a dream he wasn't comfortable with.

Her smile faltered just a little when memories started to slide to place. Yes, the evening – or rather night – before hadn't been easy for her. She'd felt agitated and somewhat disconnected all day, and in the end she'd simply crumbled down during a therapy session, when Tsunade had asked about her sister's death. All those memories, all that blood… It'd just been too much. Fortunately Haku had been there, although she couldn't remember much of what'd happened after she'd flipped in Tsunade's office. All she could picture clearly was feeling like suffocating until Haku had appeared and taken her into his arms. Everything had turned black at that moment.

" 'Nata?" Surprisingly enough Haku's voice was so soft that it didn't startle her. The boy smiled ever so slightly, eyes halfway open. " Nice to see you awake."

She could feel heat on her cheeks. For the first time in her life she took that as a good sign. " 'S-Sorry", was all she managed to stutter.

Haku shook his head. " Don't be. What happened wasn't your fault." The boy started to get up, stretching stiff muscles. " I'll go and tell Tsunade you're okay – she was worried." She could feel her blush brighten several shades when her stomach churned, but the boy didn't seem to mind. " And it sounds like we could use some breakfast as well."

At that moment, she did something she would've never imagined being capable of. They both jolted slightly when her hand grabbed Haku's wrist, gently yet so firmly that the boy had no chance of escape. " S-Stay." She could tell her eyes were huge when meeting his surprised ones. " Please?"

Haku's eyes softened while he closed his free hand around hers and took a cautious step back towards her.

Yes, that could've been a phenomenal moment. Unfortunately, her life had never been exactly filled with such. And just when things were about to take a step forth, there was a sound she knew much too well from the hallway. " _You wanted her mother's consent, so here it is_", Hiashi Hyuuga all but snarled. " _I told her everything about Konoha, and she doesn't want her daughter to be anywhere near a place like this._"

" _Hiashi, don't be stupid!_" Kakashi sounded somewhere between roaring and pleading. " _She's doing well here – she's made a lot of progress lately!_"

She found herself gasping for air and squeezing Haku's comforting hand desperately.

" _That's right_", Yamato's voice backed up. " _In a matter of weeks…_"

" … _she'll be even more of a wreck than she is already._" Hiashi waited for a couple of moments. " _You've done everything there's under your power. Now, it's my turn to make my own decisions._"

After that everything happened so fast that her fuzzy mind couldn't quite catch on. Her father barged into the room along with Kakashi and Iruka, and certainly wasn't pleased when finding Haku there. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and the sound of her heart hammering blocked her ears from everything else when the man charged forth. After a while she felt herself being picked up by cold, hard arms.

She tried to scream, tried to do _anything_ to make her father realize that this was a huge mistake, but once again there was what felt like a rope wrapped tightly around her neck, halting all breath. She could barely breathe, let alone speak.

She could tell someone – perhaps even several voices – shouted. Then, everything turned blacker than midnight.

* * *

When lunchtime started to approach, Naruto found himself growing strangely anxious. Sasuke had been missing for hours already. He didn't know if this was something the raven did on regular bases, but the image of all those scars he'd seen on the boy's wrist was much too fresh in his mind to allow him any ease.

He yelped when pain traveled up his hand all of a sudden, and groaned when noticing that he'd managed to cut a nice wound to his index finger. " Great…"

" Naruto?" Yamato, who'd been working nearby, was stood beside him in a second and inspected his wound. " It's not deep, but it'll bleed for a while." The man looked to his side. " Sakura, would you show him where to find bandages?"

The pinkette, who'd been cooking with them, nodded. " Sure." She took his hand surprisingly gently. " C'mon, let's get you patched up."

The atmosphere between them was so relaxed that hardly any words were needed while they found some small bandages and Sakura covered his wound after cleaning it up. The pinkette smiled a bit at her work. " Good as new."

He gave a deep breath, only then realizing how much air he'd kept inside. " Thanks." He winced a bit at his injury. " I'm pretty hopeless, aren't I?"

Sakura remained silent for a while, as though shocked by his words, then ruffled his hair. " That's what makes you adorable. Now let's head back – the last thing Yamato needs after this morning's hassle is having to prepare lunch all alone."

Surprisingly enough he was smiling slightly when nodding and following her.

Once they were in the long hallway that'd lead to kitchen, he felt this tiny jump in his chest when noticing Sasuke sneaking into the mansion. " So you decided to come back, after all." Sensing the boy's unvoiced question, he went on. " And you can stop worrying, Kakashi and Yamato have had their hands full, so I doubt they'll be a lot of trouble. Itachi's another story, though."

Sasuke nodded, seeming to relax slightly. " Good."

At some point they'd walked close to each other, and he found himself unwilling to leave.

" So…" He was somewhat nervous, although he didn't know why. He was careful to keep his voice so low that Sakura wouldn't hear; the raven would kill him if the girl should find out his secret. " What's the deal with you and that guy, anyway? Are you a couple of something?"

Sasuke's eyes darkened, and he knew there wouldn't be a proper answer. " Don't bother your head with it, dobe."

He found himself doubting those words, but couldn't exactly press further. Getting the raven all riled up now that the boy had let him this close would've been a stupid thing to do. There was, however, something he wanted to ask.

He snatched Sasuke's sleeve just before the boy managed to escape. " Hey, Sasuke…" He frowned at what this new closeness felt like. Something seemed to be different from that morning, but he just couldn't pinpoint what it was. " Everything's okay, right?"

Sasuke didn't turn towards him, and remained silent for a long time before there was a strangely quiet response. " Yeah. Everything's okay." With that the raven walked away.

He must've been staring at the direction to which the boy had disappeared for quite a while before Sakura's voice caused him to jump. " So he's in his silent mood again?" There was clearly distinguishable worry upon the pinkette's face. " It's unnerving when he gets like that."

He shrugged. " Oh, whatever. I bet he'll get over it." He wasn't sure if he should've been amused or frightened by how determinedly he tried to lie to himself. " Now let's go back to making that lunch before Yamato loses the last of his nerves with us."

* * *

Neji had always been gifted at most of the things he tried. Acting wasn't one of them. That's why it was almost excruciating for him to behave like there was nothing wrong when it felt like most of him was in pieces.

Eventually – deciding that he needed some time away from prying eyes and that he didn't want to burden Naruto with breaking down in front of the boy – he went for a walk, ending up to a river's edge about a kilometer or so from the mansion. He sat there for almost an hour until sensing that he wasn't alone.

Looking up, he blinked once at whom he found approaching. " Zaku?"

The boy grinned a bit, seeming almost shy with hands shoved deep into pockets. " Hey. Long time no see."

He frowned. They hadn't even seen each other for two years. What was this meeting all about? After a moment's surprise, he managed to speak. " Hey. What are you doing here?"

" I live in the orphanage, and heard what Gaara did to you", Zaku replied, taking a seat beside him. Dark eyes flashed his way for a moment. " I suppose there's no need to ask if you're okay. You look like a mess."

He snorted, which was the first humorous reaction he'd given in days. " Thanks. That makes me feel much better."

The other chuckled. " At least your sense of humor isn't dead." Suddenly, the entire atmosphere around them changed – electrified – when the boy did something he hadn't expected. He shuddered as though having been struck by something sharp when a surprisingly soft hand was laid hesitantly to his. The brunette waited for a moment before speaking. " I'm sorry."

Those words that sounded deviously sincere to him at the moment were all it took for him to snap.

He'd been strained to extreme lately, and even he had his limits. He needed release, an escape.

Zaku shivered – most likely with pleasure – when he attacked the boy's lips so suddenly that even he didn't see it coming. After that his mind was filled with so much blur that he barely realized what was happening when he hit the ground hard, Zaku's weight landing on top of him, and kisses intensified while hot, sweaty hands roamed around his clothing.

He knew he'd regret this dearly once he'd be able to think coherently again, but that thought didn't manage to concern him. If this was the only way to erase Gaara's face from his mind for even a couple of minutes, he'd take it gladly.

-

Zaku grinned to himself while Neji shifted underneath his hold, movements melting into his.

This was definitely worth the wait, he decided.

(Had his ears not been blocked by rush of blood, he would've heard that the name Neji murmured wasn't his.)

* * *

Calling Gaara's past few days hellish would've been a ridiculous understatement. It wasn't enough that it seemed his very heart had been stolen from his chest, but his sanity had been taken away as well. He couldn't sleep, and he no idea of when was the last time he'd eaten properly, if at all. (He was glad he hadn't even tried, though; he doubted his stomach would've been able to digest anything.)

Sunrays caused him to squint while he sat on a windowsill that afternoon, drawing careful lines to his sketchbook with a concentrated expression. He didn't even know what he was doing before the artwork was already finished. Had he been in correct state of mind, he might've chuckled bitterly at what he'd produced.

Staring back at him was a picture of Neji. He wasn't surprised at all to discover that he'd remembered every single fine line of the Hyuuga's naked body.

He'd almost managed to hide his treasure before a voice he definitely wouldn't have wanted to hear spoke. " What are you scrabbling, freak?"

Looking up, he found four of the orphanage's most annoying inhabitants, who also happened to be Zaku's friends – creepy looking brothers named Ukon and Sakon, a guy named Dosu who seemed to have a thing for fur, and a dark haired girl named Kin. " Nothing that'd be any of your business", he growled. " So beat it."

Before he could do as much as move a hand to stop it, Sakon had snatched the sketchbook from his hold. Eyebrow rose high up. " Now what's this?" He grit teeth while the artwork he'd poured his heart and soul on was passed forth. " Take a look at this. It seems we have a real freak amongst us."

Every single muscle in his body tensed up when he sensed the inevitable approaching, and he swallowed hard, balling his fists.

This was _not _something he would've needed at the moment.

The first fist came flying so fast that he had no chance to block before pain slashed through his chin. " Fag", a vicious voice hissed.

His eyes narrowed, and he felt all restraints of self control break. Those assholes had crossed the last of his lines. They'd pay.

Already then, he knew he'd be in a very, very deep trouble soon.

* * *

In one of the mansion's bathrooms Sasuke stood before a mirror, his flaming eyes directed to the reflection while he gathered strength. Like so many times before memories flashed right by his eyes.

/ _" It's okay, Sasuke", his mother murmured, voice filled with tears, and pulled him close. Too young to know when he was being lied to he leaned eagerly to the comforting embrace. " Everything will work out, I promise you. I'll be okay."_ /

His hand wrapped around the blade he was holding so tightly that blood was almost drawn, but he didn't even notice, instead squeezed his eyes tightly shut to hold back a scream.

/ _Something sharp that felt far too much like a weapon to his liking made its way across his body while he shivered like a leaf with revulsion, rage and terror. " Just hold still, Sasuke-kun, and this won't take long."_ /

His hand trembled just a little while he moved the blade to his wrist, skillfully finding a spot that hadn't been harmed yet. He was just about to cut through skin when one more memory appeared out of nowhere.

/ _" Wake up already, damnit! Don't you see what you're doing?" Naruto's sharp voice snarled. " I'm not going to let you die, do you understand?"_ /

At that moment happened something he would've never expected. His hold on the blade loosened, and it fell into the sink before him.

He stared at the item for a long time until he gasped faintly when there was a knock, followed by Itachi's voice. " _Sasuke? Are you in there?_"

He was quick to take the blade he'd almost used and hide it. He held his breath for exactly three seconds before managing to speak without sounding like a five-year-old. " Yeah, I'm here." Walking slowly and with difficulty, he made his way to the door and opened it. The look he found from his brother's face confused him. " What's wrong?"

" You've been in there for half an hour." The older frowned, searching through his face. He shot an inward scold at the fact that judging by how dizzy he felt, there must've been a spacey look in his eyes. " Are you feeling ill?"

All of a sudden he felt this smothering urge to say ' Yes', to finally let out everything there was weighting his chest. But as soon as the urge appeared his tongue became tied, and he could only nod. This was his battle to fight, not Itachi's. " No. Just… a bit tired, I suppose." He wrapped his arms around himself – to hide how his shirt hung on him or to keep himself from using his arms for something else, he didn't know.

Itachi nodded, and he was fairly sure he saw his brother's shoulders sink just a little. " In that case get some rest – you look pale." The older one rubbed his temple. " We'll talk later, okay?"

He nodded stiffly. _Why do I have I bad feeling about this…?_ " Okay."

-

While watching his brother's retreating back, Itachi sighed heavily.

It was obvious that Kakashi hadn't been exaggerating when describing the load of work he'd have ahead with Sasuke.

He just hoped there was enough time…

* * *

Slumping to a couch in the mansion, Ino took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

How many times was it again she'd spewed her guts out today – four, five?

She felt ready to kill when hearing a door open, then approaching steps, but for some reason calmed down when discovering that the arrival was Shikamaru. The boy arched an eyebrow. " Tough morning?"

She gave him an extremely dry look. " Whatever gives you such an impression?"

The boy rolled his eyes. " Hey, there's no need to take it out on me." Apparently having no instinct of self protection whatsoever, he sat down beside her, the scent of horses in his clothes making her feel nauseated. He seemed to eye towards her, although he didn't look directly. " What's wrong, anyway? You've been on killing spree for days now."

She'd kept _everything_ bottled up inside almost ever since finding out about her pregnancy. But at that moment, she simply boiled over. " So you don't think I've got a right to be upset?! I'm losing my mind here, okay?" she all but snapped, waving her hands. " I didn't exactly plan on becoming a mother at the age of fifteen! And I'm still not sure if I want to have a child without Sai taking care of it with me!"

Shikamaru blinked a bit, and it wasn't until then she realized just how much she'd spilled in a storm of frenzy. " Sai?" the boy repeated. " Is he the…?"

She interrupted him with a determined, nearly frantic shake of head, and chewed her lower lip so hard it bled while looking down. She didn't want to go through this conversation, these memories. Not now, not yet.

Fortunately, Shikamaru seemed to take the hint. After a minute or two of confused, stilled silence she was too stunned to react in any way whatsoever when he wrapped one arm cautiously around her, pulling her slightly closer to his warmth. She gasped once, feeling out of breath, and blinked furiously to clear her suddenly clouded vision.

* * *

/ _" It's okay, Ino. I'll take care of you, always."_

" _Is that a promise I'm sensing?"_

_If she really focused, she could still remember the taste of that kiss. " Yeah. A promise."_ /

* * *

" Hey, geez! You're shivering like a leaf!" Shikamaru's voice hit her like a lightning bolt, and she shuddered violently. " What's wrong?"

Fortunately, she didn't have to answer just yet, for she was saved by a knock that carried faintly to their ears. Faster than would've been sensible she bolted up and all but sprinted to the door. In less than a minute she hoped dearly she hadn't been in such haste.

When she faced the arrival all air and a lot of saliva got stuck into her throat, forming such a ball she couldn't even swallow for at least twenty seconds. In the end a pathetic wheeze left her. " K – Kabuto?"

The grey haired boy nodded sharply. " I think we need to talk."

* * *

When walking past one of the mansion's bathrooms that evening, Kakashi was so exhausted by the day's events that he almost failed to notice what was happening in the tiny room. Quite soon, however, his head caught up with his eyes and he took three steps backwards with cold shivers. Unfortunately he found exactly what he'd feared.

Inside, Itachi was leaning heavily against a sink, unnaturally pale face contorted by pain, eyes screwed shut and a scowl revealing white teeth. Judging by what he smelled and saw in the sink, it hadn't been all that long from when the boy had thrown up.

He approached almost hesitantly, having a strong idea that he didn't even want to know what was going on. " Itachi?"

The boy didn't manage to open up his eyes while gasping through gritted teeth, some tears of pain escaping. " T – The pills, please… Pocket…"

In a couple of seconds he spotted Itachi's black jacket lay on a tile floor. Not wasting a moment he knelt down, then rummaged through pockets and finally managed to find a scarily empty bottle of pills. Shudders crossed his being.

This medication definitely wasn't meant for just any headache.

In some sort of a haze he offered Itachi the pills along with some water, then guided the boy to sit onto the ledge of a bathtub.

It took what felt like ages before the pain had subsided so much that the Uchiha could inch his eyes open. It wasn't until then Kakashi dared to speak. " Itachi… What's wrong?" His tone, although it was soft, left no room for lousy excuses or dodging.

Were those… tears he saw in Itachi's eyes? The boy refused to look towards him while finally voicing what'd most likely been aching to pop out since the raven came back to Konoha. " Kakashi, I… I'd been having these headaches and other symptoms for weeks, and… and I went to a doctor." The raven closed his eyes again, starting to tremble almost pitiably. " Dr… Dr. Yuuhi said months, four at most."

For a long time the only thing he could do was stare at the boy, a huge bulge building up in his tight throat and eyes feeling like someone had blown sand into them.

Itachi, he'd always been so strong, undefeatable almost, even after his parents died – he'd had no other option. And now… The teen before him seemed so young, so far from that tough skinned creature, that it absolutely broke his heart.

Heaven knows he wasn't a hugger. But at that moment he didn't know what else to do.

At first Itachi jumped a bit when he wrapped his arms tightly, protectively, around the boy, but in the end relaxed against him. It didn't make the stinging in his eyes any easier that in less than a minute, the Uchiha shuddered even more violently than before in his hold.

* * *

At around the same time in kitchen, Sasuke shivered barely traceably when feeling a slash of some sort, as though something had been badly wrong.

He drifted out of thoughts when Naruto, who was making dinner with him and Sakura, snapped fingers right before his face. The blonde seemed mildly concerned, although the emotion was only narrowly visible. " Hey, teme, are you going to give me that tomato sometime during this century?"

He scoffed, still feeling uneasy. " Oh shut it, deadlast." He then took two steps backwards as soon as he'd fulfilled the other's request, feeling hasty to get out and away. " We're just about done with this, right? Because I'm going."

-

Naruto's eyes narrowed. So maybe he wasn't the brightest person ever walked on earth, but he wasn't completely dense, either. " You're trying to sneak away without eating again, aren't you?" For some reason he was feeling far more worried than he would've seen fit. _Damn that bastard…_

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at him. " So now you've taken it as your job to watch over my diet?"

He snorted. " If your 'diet' consists of cigarettes and occasional glasses of water, then someone's got to keep an eye on it." Without properly realizing what he was doing until it was much too late he walked up to the Uchiha, then wrapped one arm around the boy's almost bony waistline while other hand held out a slender slice of an apple he'd just cut. The piece of fruit was shoved into the raven's mouth so unexpectedly and with so much speed and force that all the boy could do was glare, chew and swallow. " See? It doesn't burn your mouth or anything."

The only response Sasuke gave was a constantly intensifying glare. Ignoring the look as harmless, he fed the boy another slice of the fruit.

By then peaceful silence had lasted for so long that they were both mildly surprised when there was a quick, bubbly laughter. They looked towards Sakura, who was smiling and holding a hand on her lips while looking at them with soft eyes. Naruto blinked twice. " What's up?"

The pinkette shook her head. " I'm so sorry. But you two are incredibly adorable – you do know that, right?"

It was then he finally noticed that he'd practically taken Sasuke into his arms, and one arm still remained around the raven. He shot soundless cusses at how hot his cheeks became when he met the Uchiha's eyes, which were filled with at least a dozen emotions the boy couldn't hide.

Suddenly, he found himself waiting with great dread how Sasuke would react to this.

-

Sasuke felt a weight of some sort sitting on his chest when he looked into Naruto's eyes, much too aware of how close to boy was and how warm the other's hold made him feel.

This was too much and far too close, he decided. He didn't need this, didn't even want to…

Due to Naruto's state of shock it didn't take him all that much to vigor his way out of the blonde's rather tender embrace. He shivered when starting to leave, feeling cold now that the other's body heat wasn't warming him up anymore. " Dobe, I'm not about to let you force feed me." At that moment the headache and wooziness that'd been growing steadily for the entire day intensified, making his eyes squint slightly. " I'm going outside."

He could almost see Naruto's roll of eyes although his back was already turned to the blonde. " Fine, teme. Just don't forget to show up for some food, okay? You look like you hadn't eaten in ages already."

He gave a 'Hn', walking through the nearest door into what he considered safety.

World spun abnormally in his eyes, but he paid no mind to it, didn't even notice such a fact. All that mattered was that he'd get away, as far as possible. He couldn't breathe and think right around here.

He didn't know how he'd ended up there, but eventually he found himself standing before Bucephalus. He could've sworn the horse frowned when looking at him. " It's okay", he murmured, unsuccessfully trying to force some volume and force into his tone. " I guess we both need some fresh air."  
The animal didn't seem reassured, instead moved restlessly, ears twitching to catch something he couldn't.

He took a deep breath while starting to work on the horse, feeling mild alarm when finally noticing how everything swayed before his eyes. He rubbed his face with both hands, but that did nothing to help with his current state.

_What…?!_

He closed his eyes, balled his fists and tried to inhale deep breaths, but if anything he felt even dizzier, and his legs started to wobble a bit, clearly about to give in.

He emitted a hiss through gritted teeth. " Shit…"

This was probably one of the most dangerous places to pass out in, but he'd lost all control over his awareness.

The last thing he heard before sinking into darkness was a shrill, deafeningly loud neigh from Bucephalus.

* * *

Meanwhile in the mansion, Naruto felt a shudder travel down his spine and frowned, almost dropping the bread he'd been holding.

Sakura gave him a somewhat worried glance. " You okay?"

" Yeah…", he breathed out, subconsciously taking a look towards a stable through a window. " Just… had a weird feeling."

He should've known that Sakura wasn't stupid enough to buy that as the full truth. Something mischievous appeared into her eyes. " So you _are_ worried after all."

He scoffed, feeling a sudden need to fold his arms. " Yeah, right…" Seeing the pinkette's expression, he found himself going on against his will. " Besides, it's not like he'd even _want_ anyone's worry or help."

Sakura made a silent 'hmm', focusing on chopping vegetables. " Sasuke… isn't always all that reasonable when it comes to what he wants and needs." She grinned a little. " But you're persistent, and I can see he's very close to accepting you near him already. All he needs is a little bit of time."

He smirked brightly, feeling a lot lighter all of a sudden. " Thanks, Sakura-chan."

She threw a tiny slice of a vegetable at him. " We're gonna have to talk about that nickname."

He laughed, then came to think of something. " How do you know the teme so well, anyway?"

Sakura's eyes changed so rapidly and dramatically that it scared him. " That's… a long story, for some other time."

Curious as usual, he was about to pry further until shouts floated into their ears. Exchanging quizzical looks they followed the sounds, ending up nearby the mansion's front door. Who they found was just about the last person he would've expected or wanted to see.

He didn't even hear the words being shouted, barely noticed Ino. All he could see was Kabuto, who's eyes turned slowly towards him and widened a bit with recognition.

' _Kit, don't tell me you haven't been waiting for this_', a familiar voice that made him feel sick purred in his head. ' _You've been yearning for a payback since that day._'

Tears welled into his eyes without him having any control whatsoever over them.

/ _Kabuto's eyes flashed when the boy lifted a hand and slapped him hard. " Don't ever come anywhere near me again, freak!"_ /

He brought a hand to his throat when it felt so tight that he couldn't breathe properly.

' _Let me through_', the voice coaxed. ' _Just one slip, and I'll do what you don't have the guts for. I can finish this up for you._'

Through hazy eyes, he could faintly make out Sakura appearing before him and saying something he couldn't comprehend, green eyes filled with fear and worry.

Warm tears trickling to his cheeks and his whole frame trembling uncontrollably, he tried to speak but nothing more than a wheeze came out. ' _Please, help me! Please…!_'

At that moment, everything faded away.

* * *

TBC, no?

* * *

A/N: Oh man… (smacks hand against forehead) I did it again!

And you know what's the worst part? Next couple of weeks will be so busy for me that I'll barely have time to sleep, so I have no clue of when I'll be able to update again. (I will, of course – so long as you want me to – but still!)

(screams and dodges sharp objects)

Errr… I feel this intense need to RUN, but first… **PLEASE**, please do review! Your support would mean the world to me, you know…? (bats eyelashes irresistibly, and also offers the most delicious of chocolate)

Until next time, folks – I REALLY hope it'll be soon!

Peace out!


	7. The Tension Is Here

A/N: Gosh! If I'd believe in such a thing, I'd say the universe has something against the appearance of this chapter. Not only have I been insanely busy (basically running around like a headless chicken), but the flue that's been preparing for its grand appearance now attacked (at the moment I can barely breathe through my nose, and I probably have a bit of fever – how nice…). My computer also decided to throw a fit, which is why it took me hours to proofread this chapter for the final time.

BUT, despite all those things, the chapter IS here, and after a decent wait, too! WOO-HOO! (throws backflips with joy, then wipes sweat from forehead and sneezes) I still can't believe this is seeing daylight already.

Ah, first of all! MONUMENTAL thank yous for those absolutely incredible reviews you've sent! (gives HUGE hugs and even bigger, juicy cookies) You can't even imagine how great help you've been. Muchas gracias! (If you reviewed anonymously, look for response to review from underneath the chappy, yeah?) And special, enormous thank yous to **Serenityofthematrix **for doing the massive work of proofreading!

Okay, okay… I left you into such a cliffie that I suppose it's 'bout time to let you off the hook. (sweatdrops) Enjoy, yeah?

DISCLAIMER: The lyrics in this chapter are from 'Save me' by Darren Styles. Me own nothing. (sniffs)

* * *

Tsunade felt somewhat exhausted when emerging from her office for the first time in three hours. She wasn't all that surprised to find Kakashi waiting. " How is he?" the man asked before she got a chance to even think of what to say. The silver haired glanced towards the door behind her as if able to see Naruto through it.

She sighed and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. " He's asleep with the aid of medication, but I doubt it'll be a smooth ride when he wakes up. He keeps having nightmares and muttering about… Kyuubi, or something like that. Sakura's there keeping an eye on him." She looked towards the man who seemed to relax just a little. " It was fortunate you were strong enough to hold him back, you know? There's no telling what he might've done to Kabuto and himself if this 'Kyuubi' would've been completely unleashed."

Kakashi nodded, not seeming all that reassured. It took a moment before his eyes met hers, seeming tired. " What are we going to do next?"  
She fought the urge to wince. " I'm afraid he'll need some more medication if resting and relaxation won't help." She hesitated for a moment, familiar with the man's past and knowing her following words wouldn't do anything to soothe the silver haired. " I… had to call Iruka. He said he'll be here as soon as possible."

She'd never seen anyone become as tense as Kakashi did then. Seconds ticked by before there was a somewhat feeble response. " Okay."

She nodded, knowing that there was nothing more she could've done. " I have to go now – a patient of mine called. You can go see Naruto, but in my opinion it'd be good to let him have some rest."  
-

Kakashi barely noticed that Tsunade left for his thought entirely elsewhere, and not only because of Naruto.

So Iruka was coming to Konoha. Like things hadn't been hard enough already…

Just then his gaze rose on its own and moved to a stable nearby the mansion. He frowned when spotting light.

Almost everyone was asleep. So who was there?

* * *

CHAPTER 7: The Tension Is Here

* * *

Headache. Wrenching, hammering agony unlike anything he'd ever felt before. That was the first thing Sasuke felt while consciousness started to rush into his buzzing skull.

He groaned, shielding his eyes from the light he suspected to be imaginary. " Shit…"

" That's right." Kakashi's voice was dry, yet filled with so much worry that he felt a twinge despite himself. " Take it easy, okay? I don't want you to pass out again."

Very slowly, having a good idea of what his head would say about the decision, he inched his eyelids halfway open. Light pierced the back of his skull like daggers, but eventually his vision cleared so much that he could distinguish Kakashi sitting in a chair beside his bed. He frowned, memories spinning in an incoherent flow. " What…?"

" You fainted, right into Bucephalus' stall. Do you have any idea of how lucky you are you didn't end up injured?" The man took a deep breath. " According to Tsunade you've been sleeping and eating far from enough, and it's also clear that you've been putting yourself through quite a bit of stress. She's also very, very worried about the marks on your wrists – as am I, for the matter." Dark eyes were sharp when boring straight into his. " Sasuke, if you keep going on like this, we'll have no other choice but to send you back to a hospital. Is that honestly what you want?"

His eyes narrowed while he pushed himself into a sitting position and pulled his legs tightly to his chest. " You know it isn't", he all but hissed out, restraining himself from using harsh words just as determinedly as he looked away from the man.

" Then let us help you." Gosh, Kakashi had never sounded that desperate before! " We're trying our hardest to pull you out of this, but we can't do a thing if you keep pushing us away."

He growled again, feeling very tired all of a sudden. Lack of energy and awareness must've been why the about last words he'd been expecting slipped through. " I know."

" Good." Kakashi's voice was slightly softer now – obviously he wasn't the only worn out one. The man got up slowly. " I'll let you get some rest. We'll continue this discussion later on." To him, the door's silent sound felt like that of verdict.

He sat absolutely still for a minute or two before finally becoming aware of the small whimpers that'd probably continued for a while already. Looking towards the sound with a frown, he was mildly taken aback when finding Naruto on the other bed of the sickroom. The blonde was tossing and turning as though having nightmares.

He came to a conclusion that he was out of his mind while struggling out of the bed and tiptoeing to Naruto. He hesitated uncharacteristically for a moment, but in the end the heartbreaking whimpers got to him and he shook the boy's shoulder. " Dobe." If anything, the sounds intensified. " Naruto, wake up before you get yourself hurt."

After that everything happened so fast that he didn't get even the slightest chance to back away from the situation. Naruto's eyes flew open, and before either of them knew it the boy was sitting, arms wrapped around him as though he'd been the blonde's soul lifeline. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to snap a harsh comment while the other gasped for air, clinging to him for what felt like eternity.

Eventually Naruto seemed to regain his senses, and bolted away from him as though he'd been something very hazardous. The blonde swallowed thickly. " Oh man…"

His eyebrow twitched dangerously. " Don't… _ever _do that again."

Naruto scoffed, still shivering a bit. " Bastard." The other's blue then eyes observed him while he slumped to sit beside the boy, holding something that looked distinctly like worry. " Teme, are you okay? I didn't squeeze you too hard, did I?"

He grit teeth. " Do I look un-okay to you?" he inquired, trying to glare although he knew it most likely came out bleakly.

Naruto scoffed, eyes scanning through what he knew to be his much too pale face and clothes that had a lot of room to spare. " Yeah, you do." The boy's voice wasn't angry or mocking, only filled with so much concern the blonde couldn't hide that it hurt him physically.

He poked the other's forehead gently with two fingers. " Stop thinking too much, deadlast – your head will start to hurt." Feeling far nosier than he should have, he went on. " What's wrong, anyway? What did you do to get confined here?" He was confused by the fact that there was some sincere unease in his voice. Where did it come from?

Naruto's expression changed, and he could immediately tell this was a sore subject. " I… had an episode." The grin that appeared was such a clear fake that he felt like swatting the blonde's head. " But I'm fine now, see?"

He arched an eyebrow. " Dobe, you're as pale as I am and shivering like a leaf. Plus, you look ready to pass out." He sighed, feeling too exhausted for this. " Just get some sleep, will you?"

Naruto's blue eyes didn't seem fully trusting, but the body still close to him relaxed while the blonde lay back down. " 'Bout you?"

Was that a chuckle that came from him? " I'll be here. I couldn't exactly go anywhere with you clinging to my arm."

As much as he detested such a thought, he caught himself thinking Naruto looked adorable when blushing. " 'Sorry." The boy didn't let go, though, instead leaned a head against his shoulder while he lay down slowly as well, most likely too exhausted to know what he was doing.

Silence lingered for a few moments until deep, even breathing confirmed that Naruto had indeed fallen asleep, now with much sweeter dreams than the last time around. Unable to stop himself he glanced towards the blonde, and found his hand moving to wipe away a strand of hair from the boy's eye. Even he wasn't aware of the thin smile that appeared to his lips.

As exhausted as he was, he couldn't bring himself to sleep a wink after that.

* * *

/ _Thirteen years old Hinata didn't know how long she'd been asleep when sound of rain falling heavily on her family's car roof and windows woke her up. She blinked sluggishly, feeling somewhat depressed when meeting nothing but darkness._

" _Dad, when are we getting there?" her younger sister, only seven years old Hanabi, all but whined, leaning eagerly against the driver's seat._

" _We've still got three more hours to go", their mother replied, then gave a sharp glance towards her younger child. " Hanabi, stop pestering your father, and put on your seatbelt. I've told you five times already." The woman's eyes then softened. " Why don't you sleep a while?"_

_Blushing just a little, her sister buckled a seatbelt. The girl then took a look at Hinata's notes she'd been drawing for almost the entire ride, eyes filling with curiosity. " Is that another song?"_

_She nodded, finding herself smiling just a little. " Teacher told me to give it a try." She blushed. " It's not good, though."_

_Hanabi giggled. " Liar! I've heard your other songs." The younger one inched a hand closer, almost letting fingers ghost above the notes. " What's it called?"_

_She looked at the paper, deep in thought all of a sudden. " I… don't know", she confessed eventually, then came to think of something and smiled. " How about '_Sonnet For Great Fireworks_'?" _(1)

_Despite the girl's young age, she knew perfectly that Hanabi knew exactly what her name meant. And the younger's bright grin was the only answer she needed._

_Just then things started to happen with such speed that her mind could barely keep up. Two bright, almost blinding pillars of light flooded in through their car's window, and her ears – blocked by rush of blood – caught the screams of her parents and sister only faintly. There were screeches – so loud that she feared her ears and head would explode – followed by what felt like a mile of dive. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and opened her mouth for a scream, but nothing came._

_The fall seemed to take forever, but eventually the car hit something hard with such force that she was shoved forth until she had to gasp for breath._

_She didn't know how long had passed until she finally dared to open her eyes halfway. Surveying her own form, she was mildly surprised to discover that she seemed to have several nasty injuries. She was shivering, yes, but felt no pain. Then, as though working free of her own will, she turned her gaze towards Hanabi – and immediately wished she hadn't._

_Her sister was whiter than any sheet and pale eyes were wide with terror when meeting hers, but that certainly wasn't what got to her. The girl… Gosh, there was a huge shard of glass sticking from her stomach, and one more had slashed the younger one's throat. There was so much blood…_

_And then, without any warning, Hanabi's eyes glazed over, still staring hollowly at her._

_Had her ears not been deafened for the time being, she would've heard her heart wrenching scream. " HANABI!"_ _It was the last thing she voiced for two years._ /

* * *

Hinata woke up from what felt like never ending nightmare to her own heartbreaking scream. Once more she was trembling violently and felt beds of cold sweat all over her skin. Warm tears flowed across her cheeks.

" Hinata?" For some reason she felt nauseated when her father entered the room, face carrying its usual bleak expression. " Another nightmare?"

She looked away while nodding, not wanting to see the man's face.

Her bed dipped slightly while her father sat to its edge. " Danzou told me to give you one of these whenever you get agitated." She saw a needle being prepared from the corner of her eye and wanted to wince, but couldn't. " Don't worry – you'll feel much better after this."

She closed her eyes when feeling the needle pierce her tender skin, and could tell a couple of more tears trickled from her hold. The faintest of whispers broke through her dry lips. " Haku…"

* * *

Itachi took a deep breath before knocking on the door of Sasuke's room. " _Yeah?_"

Making every move quite carefully, he opened the door slowly and entered. He felt ready to scowl when seeing how pale his younger brother still was. " Kakashi told me what happened last night", he announced in a rather stern voice, closing the door behind him. His heart stung when the other refused to even meet his eyes. " Why didn't you tell me it's this bad?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but the boy still didn't look at him. " Did you come here to lecture?"

His eyes softened, and only the fact that he didn't want to make Sasuke feel pathetic kept him from sighing while he sat on his brother's bedside. " No. I came because I'm worried." He searched through the younger's eyes, his careful gaze detecting even the most hidden traces of emotion. " You're not the only one who remembers what day it is tomorrow."

Sasuke stiffened and he waited for a reaction to come, prepared for anything. In the end his brother only relaxed once more, head falling so that dark bangs shielded face from view. " Do you… miss them?"

He was glad Sasuke couldn't see his expression of shock, because it would've most likely scared the boy to withdraw once more. He waited until he could be sure his voice sounded somewhat normal before speaking. " Of course I do", he all but whispered in a soft tone. In the spur of the moment he wrapped one arm cautiously around his brother, and was even further stunned than before when the other leaned closer after a moment instead of struggling away. He allowed silence to linger. " But life… needs to move on. You remember what mom told us about dying, don't you?"

When there was no response for what felt like an eternity, he glanced towards Sasuke. Sure enough, his younger brother had fallen asleep against him, hand clutching tightly to the sleeve of his worn, black shirt.

Lifting his gaze to the window, he wasn't sure if it was the light of setting sun or something entirely different that made his eyes sting while he let his brother lean against him.

This'd be a lot more painful than he'd thought…

* * *

While standing before the window of his room, Neji realized that he'd lost track of how many nights he'd already been up. He was afraid of falling asleep, because if he'd have even one more dream of Gaara… Honestly, he didn't know what he'd do.

His whole body jolted when his cell phone – which he kept in a silent mode although he was fairly sure Naruto wasn't asleep either – vibrated in his hand. Investigating it, he found one new text message.

' _Had a great time last night. When am I going to see you again?_

_Miss you already._

_- Zaku_ '

Feeling nauseated all of a sudden, he put the phone into his pocket and fought the urge to chuckle bitterly.

_I bet Hiashi would love to see me now_, he mused darkly. _He'd get to say 'I told you so'._

" Neji?" Ah, so his assumption had been correct. Naruto was awake, halfway at least. Peering over his shoulder, he met somewhat hazy blue eyes. " What's wrong?"

He looked towards the window once more, feeling great satisfaction when seeing that it was still pouring rain. " Just had trouble sleeping."  
" Gaara related?" Naruto's tone was knowing, and he wasn't all that surprised. After he'd revealed to the blonde that Hiashi had sent him to Konoha because of him being gay, it hadn't been hard to spill out everything about Gaara as well, including the recent crap.

" Hmm."

Deciding that there was no point in driving himself crazy, he turned around to go to bed. He made about five steps before a knocking sound from behind him made him halt. Seeing Naruto's expression of surprise he turned around, and wasn't sure if he wanted to groan, smile or run away. For despite the darkness he could see that right behind the window was Gaara, drenched wet and a somewhat desperate look upon his face.

Moving surprisingly fast, Naruto crawled out of his bed and started to tiptoe away. " I'll go and get a glass of water… or something." The boy was gone before he could even open up his mouth.

Feeling agitated all of a sudden, he turned back around against his will, then found himself moving and opening up the window.

Gaara seemed nearly stunned, and blinked to rid some of the water filling those eccentric eyes. " Does this mean… that I'm getting in?"

He had no control over himself when he moved so that Gaara could enter, nor did he realize why he was doing so. " What are you doing here?" He was surprised by the arctic harshness of his tone, but couldn't feel guilty at the moment.

Gaara's eyes flashed with something that looked like pain when the boy cast them downwards. " I… don't know."

Sighing inwardly, still having no control over his actions, he took a step closer and placed a hand underneath the redhead's chin, lifting it. What he found made his heart hurt despite everything. Bruises, so many of them… He waited for a while before trying his voice. " Do those still hurt?" His voice was now slightly warmer, and he didn't know how to feel about the change.

The transformation of the other boy's expression was all the answer he needed.

Removing his hand from the other's skin as though it'd burned he turned around, walking out of the room. He surprised them both when returning with some equipment for patching up the damage. Gaara shuddered when he started the work, but didn't speak.

Heavy, stone hard silence lasted for what felt like a small eternity until the redhead spoke when he was just about done, so quietly that he had to strain his ears to catch it. " They know."

His head snapped up, and it took a moment before he started to catch on. His heart fluttered a bit. " Know what?" Not that he would've needed to ask – he had a pretty good idea already.

Instead of giving words, Gaara visibly braced himself and looked directly at him, eyes speaking far more than any words could've.

He swallowed thickly, balling one fist to keep his hand from trembling. " How?" he breathed out, inwardly wincing at his utterly pathetic tone.

Gaara looked down once more, eyes almost falling closed, and he understood. He felt very queasy all of a sudden and his jaw tightened.

So someone had seen them, during their…

For some reason, no matter how much pain he'd been in for a week already, he found himself wanting to wince when his attention became locked to the redhead's injuries once more. He'd always known Gaara didn't have too many friends in that place, but this… This was cruel, inhuman. The thought made him feel even sicker than he had already, and his eyes narrowed.

The redhead's hand twitched nearby his balled fist, but didn't have the courage to move. He wasn't sure if he imagined the word that came next, nor did it matter much to his buzzing head. " 'Sorry."

He shook his head softly, more to himself than the other.

He didn't know for how long he'd been drifting deep in thoughts when Gaara suddenly lost all self control, and a hand he'd missed so much it made him feel sick was laid lightly to his cheek. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and grit teeth to keep himself from screaming, out loud and mentally. " I… I'm just so tired, okay? Of… carrying this." Gosh, his voice was so powerless, so hollow… " Just leave me alone, please. Don't… Don't do this." He took a deep, shuddering breath. " If you ever cared about me, at all… Just _go_."

He didn't dare to open up his eyes – in fear of seeing Gaara's expression or afraid of his own emotions, he couldn't tell. But the touch disappeared, and his keen ears caught the faint sounds floorboards made when the redhead got up slowly. There were almost soundless steps, then a breath of cold air, and he felt more alone than ever in his life.

When he was finally able to move almost five minutes later and lifted a hand to his unnaturally hot cheek, he was between shocked and amused when finding something moist.

* * *

The morning's sun tickled Naruto's face the next day while he came home from a riding session with Yamato. For some reason his instincts led him to a library on the second floor of the mansion. He blinked a bit at what he found.

Inside, Shikamaru was playing a board game of some sort with Sakura. Both teens were obviously keeping an eye on Haku, who was sitting on a windowsill. To him, it looked like the raven was contemplating jumping, and he felt a stab of fret.

" He's been sitting there for three hours", Shikamaru answered his unvoiced question, not looking towards him. " Things seem pretty stable now."

He frowned. " What's wrong with him?" He then clicked, remembering the news of Hinata he'd heard a day or so ago. " Oh…"

" You know…" Completely out of the blue Sakura folded the game board, effectively halting the game. " I think this round's over."

" Hey!" Shikamaru protested in a near yelp.

Sakura ignored the brunette. " I'm tired of losing to Mr. Braniac here, and I'm supposed to keep an eye on Sasuke, anyway. So let's go."

-

As soon as the other two had left, Shikamaru pushed himself up from his chair and walked slowly to Haku, who didn't react to his presence in any way whatsoever at first. " You know… I've got something you may find interesting."

Haku's eyes moved barely traceably. " What's that?" It was the first time in days the boy spoke.

" Her home address." Seeing a flash of interest, he went on. " I got it from Kakashi's office. So… Whenever you feel like playing a knight in shining armor, just tell me." With that he left, leaving Haku to contemplate.

* * *

Neji had never particularly liked being touched – in fact, there was only one person who's skin he'd really wanted to feel against his. But even he was chilled by the sensation of disgust, almost, Zaku managed to arouse while rubbing his shoulders. " Geez, 'Ji!" the other exclaimed. " You're so stiff that if someone threw a coin at you it'd bounce right back. What's wrong?" It didn't take long before there was an understanding. " It's Gaara, right?"

" No." Then, deciding to go for truth, he sighed and closed his eyes. " Yeah. He… stopped by last night."

Zaku's hands squeezed him so tightly that he winced. " What?!" It took a while before the boy managed to calm down. " What the heck did he want?"

" Comfort." Even he was surprised by how soft his tone was. " He was beaten up pretty badly – I don't understand how the kids in the orphanage can do something like that to him."

Zaku remained silent for a long moment. " It's… not as simple as that. There's a lot of hassle going on right now." A kiss that made him feel cold was planted to his hair. " I've gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

He frowned, not looking towards the brunette when the boy left. " Hn."

His eyebrows knitted even more tightly together while he listened to the distancing steps.

He was no fool – something was badly wrong here. If only he'd managed to put a finger on it…

Emitting a loud growl he rubbed his temple, eyes squinting.

Things were just too damn complicated. He needed an aspirin.

-

Zaku's eyes were narrowed while he walked away, fists balled.

Gaara had crossed the line when showing up to Neji's room. The redhead needed to be taught a long, hard lesson…

* * *

Naruto was so deep in thought when walking through the mansion's hallways that evening that he didn't notice the opening door until it almost hit him. He jumped backwards with a small yelp, then snarled with annoyance. " Hey, what do you think…?!" All words got stuck in his throat when he recognized who'd almost knocked him down.

Emerging the room with a stormy, thoughtful expression was none other than Kabuto.

He swallowed long and hard, feeling color drain from his face. Every cell in his body screamed at him to move, but before he could twitch a muscle the other had already turned around, gaze turning directly to him.

It baffled him how rapidly emotions spun in the usually stoic boy's eyes – everything from fear and loathing to remorse could be found. It took a full minute before the smothering silence became broken. " So…", Kabuto breathed out, blinking once. " It really is you." Another pause, filled with discomfort and tension, followed. " Fate's a strange thing, huh?"

Heaven knows Naruto wasn't one to hold grudges – gosh, he would've definitely killed someone by then if he was! But at that moment, with the person from his nightmares stood right before him, he became so overwhelmed that he just couldn't stay for even one more second.

If Kabuto shouted something, which he doubted, he didn't hear it while whirling around and dashing away, head spinning so badly that he could barely stay upright.

-

Hour, maybe even two, passed until Naruto's head was finally at least somewhat clear. His eyes were closed while he sat on the mansion's porch, playing a guitar he'd insisted on bringing along here – after all, it was his most precious possession. He hummed quietly to the beat while memories flashed by. He could still hear all those different voices so clearly that it chilled him.

/ _" This is your room. You're not allowed to leave it unless you're guarded, understood?"_ /

/ _" It's okay – I'm going to take you away from here, alright? We're going home."_ /

/ _" A freak like you doesn't have a home."_ /

/ _" Get the hell away from me!"_ /

/ _" You almost killed him, do you understand that?! You could've killed another human being! You're dangerous!"_ /

He could feel brisling inside his head while _it_ tried to take over, but fortunately music chased its voice far away, wiped it from existence.

He was safe, for now.

All of a sudden his fingers paused when he felt that someone was looking at him. Curious, he turned his gaze to find Sasuke standing nearby, leaning against a wall with arms folded. Wind billowed while they looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

In the end he couldn't take the silence any longer. He let one eyebrow rise. " Now what are you looking at?"

The raven shrugged. " You're not completely hopeless, after all." The boy's eyes revealed that there was a lot more going on behind the other's onyx orbs.

He blinked, not even trying to hide his surprise. Had the Uchiha just… given him a compliment? " Uh… Thanks… I guess…" Composing himself, he tilted his head a bit. " What are you doing here, anyway?"

" I thought I should make sure you're okay. I saw you with Kabuto, and you seemed pretty shaken."

Once more, he failed to hide his astonishment. " And you care?"

Sasuke snorted, arms folding even more tightly. " Don't think too highly of yourself, deadlast." Obsidian eyes swept through the surroundings, and there was a small snarl. " He's late again. What a surprise…"

It was then he realized that the other looked just about ready to leave. He frowned, already knowing that he wasn't about to like what Sasuke had in mind. " Exactly where are you going?"

Sasuke's eyes seemed to glance at something very far away. He was dumbfounded when the Uchiha actually spoke. " Away from this, at least for a while."

Hearing those words, he realized just how much he wanted out of here, too – before Iruka would show up with all that worry he was sick of causing, before the situation with Kabuto would explode into his hands… He spoke before using any sense whatsoever. " I want to go along." He sounded so eager that in some other situation it might've amused him.

Sasuke's eyes flashed hard when crashing against his. " Dobe, _no_. That's not a place for you."

He scoffed, feeling tingling on his skin. " How do you know what I can handle and what I can't teme? I'm capable of taking care of myself." Seeing no softening in those eyes challenging his, he chose to take harsher measures. " Besides, if you're not taking me along, what am I supposed to tell everyone when they ask where you are?"

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, seeming genuinely impressed. " Well who would've thought… The little dobe is sneaky."

It took his all not to grin mightily. He already knew he'd won this round. " Does that mean we have a deal?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes with exasperation. " Be ready in five minutes or I'll leave without you. And don't you dare tell me I didn't warn you about that place."

He grinned brightly. " Awesome!"

Had he looked backwards while going, he would've noticed that Sasuke couldn't keep himself from smiling just a little at his enthusiasm.

Less than five minutes later he was good to go. The exact same second he stepped outside, an old, practically wrecked car appeared to a nearby sand road, so far that it couldn't be seen from the mansion's windows. " Our ride?" he suspected out loud.

Sasuke seemed to barely hear him. Dark eyes swept through the windows above them. " Let's go before we'll get any followers."

They managed to take four steps before Sakura's familiar voice stopped them. " Where the heck do you two think you're going?"

He swallowed thickly and opened his mouth for something quite incoherent, but fortunately Sasuke beat him to speaking. " There's somewhere I promised to be, and the dobe invited himself along."

Sakura's green eyes flashed. Apparently she wasn't chased away this easily. " In that case, I'm coming as well. I was assigned to take care of you two boneheads, and I'm about to do just that." She folded her arms. " So basically, you've got two options: either you take me with you, or I'll send Kakashi and Yamato after you. Which one do you choose?"

Glancing towards Sasuke, Naruto had hard time stifling his laughter when seeing the raven's expression of utter irritation. " Just hop in, will you?" the Uchiha growled. " We don't have all day."

Faster than he'd expected they'd made their way to the car. For some odd reason he felt a wave of revulsion when recognizing the tall boy behind the staring wheel as the same guy he'd met some days ago. " Hey, 'Suke", who he assumed to be Sasuke's boyfriend greeted. Unfortunately he didn't manage to turn his gaze away on time to not see the two boys exchange an intense kiss that ended after a power struggle. " I already thought you wouldn't show up."  
Sasuke shrugged and trembled when the older boy wrapped one arm around the raven's far too slender waistline, but didn't pull away. " I decided that I needed to get out, after all."

The other boy's eyes then flashed towards him and Sakura, as though just noticing them. " I see you brought… friends."

" Hmm." Sasuke's body jolted oddly when the other's hand made its way quite comfortably to the Uchiha's behind. Dark eyes flickered up to meet the older boy's. " I got your message."

The other nodded. " Good. Now let's get going before he gets irritated." A strange, crooked smirk was aimed towards Naruto through the rearview mirror. " So, are you brats ready for this?"

He forced a huge grin. " Sure."

While the car started to speed off he had a strong feeling that he was _far_ from ready for whatever was to come…

* * *

That late evening, Ino was having the worst headache in her entire life.

Kabuto… He was driving her insane. She'd tried everything there was in her power to make him leave, but apparently he was now an inhabitant of Konoha so there wasn't anything she could do. Since arriving he'd tried every single trick in the book to make her talk with him, whereas all her remaining energy had been wasted on running away from him. She didn't dare to even think what Kabuto would do once he found out about the baby she was carrying…

" Ino?" Looking up, she found Shikamaru entering the kitchen somewhat cautiously. " Good to see you still in one piece."

She bit down a slash of guilt, realizing that she'd been avoiding the brunette as well, then snorted. " Barely."

Shikamaru gave her a look of sympathy, then – hesitantly – sat next to her to the kitchen table. The boy pondered for a while before speaking. " If he's bothering you that much, all you need to do is tell me."

Her eyes flashed. " Shikamaru, no!" she snarled. " There's already enough trouble going on, okay? So stay out of this. I'm a big girl – I'll take care of my own mess."

The boy shrugged, not looking at her. " You don't have to do it alone."

She gave a faint, somewhat tired smile, allowing his words to soothe her. " Thanks."

At that moment, Shikamaru did the about last thing either of them had expected. Slowly and carefully he wrapped one arm around her, pulling her slightly closer. His expression didn't change, but the gesture said everything necessary.

' _I'm here for you, okay?_'

She frowned with confusion while allowing her head to rest against his shoulder.

She was probably fooling them both right now, making Shikamaru believe she was ready for… _this_. So why was she letting this continue?

-

Quite naturally they didn't have any sixth sense that would've warned them that they were being watched.

Kabuto's eyes flashed while he observed them.

He'd come all the way here to make things right. And he wasn't about to let some stable boy steal Ino away from him.

* * *

Naruto had never been to a party of any sort before, let alone a big one. That's why he was quite openly awed when entering a huge hall with Sasuke, Sakura and Juugo (as he now knew Sasuke's 'friend'), saw all the people and dizzying lights. " This… is amazing!"

" Hn." The raven shot a harsh glance his way. " Just stay quiet and out of trouble, got that?"

He rolled his eyes. " You do acknowledge the fact that I'm not a five year old, right?" he scoffed rather dryly.

Sasuke made an odd sound in the back of his throat. " You make it very hard to believe sometimes."

" As entertaining as this is…", Juugo spoke, stretching words. Strange, almost golden eyes met the raven's demandingly. " Orochimaru's waiting."

Sasuke nodded as well, clearly understanding something Naruto didn't, facial muscles so tense that it chilled him. The boy cast a glance towards him and Sakura. " I'll see you in a while. Try not to get into a trouble, okay?" With that the raven was gone.

He felt cold and even nauseated when watching the boy walk away, and only some strange force within kept him from following the raven.

' _Geez, kit…_', a voice in his head chided. ' _You really are pathetic._'

He fought the urge to snarl. ' _Shut it!_'

Fortunately Sakura's voice ripped him away from _its_ reach. " Now that was weird", the girl concluded, a frown upon her face.

He couldn't have agreed more. " C'mon", he stated, fervently pushing his thoughts away from the raven. " If the teme ditched us here, we can as well try to make ourselves comfortable and have some fun."

Already then, he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to feel comfortable or calm for a long time to come…

* * *

Kakashi's whole body stiffened when the mansion's doorbell rang late that evening. He was filled with more relief than ever in his life when feeling Yamato's warm, comforting hand on his shoulder. " Are you sure you're ready for this?"

He nodded sternly, eyes all but narrowing, one hand finding its way to the brunette's. " Yeah. I should've done this a long time ago."

He felt cold when Yamato took a step back and started to head towards the kitchen. " I'll go and make some tea. This may take long." The brunette's voice revealed that there were still several unsorted issues between them.

Feeling somewhat discouraged now that he was alone, he took a moment before walking to the door with stiff steps and opening it. For some reason he felt worse than before when finding not only Iruka, but as well a woman he'd met over eight years ago – Shizune, who was now the brunette's wife, he knew. " Hey", the other man all but breathed out, seeming to feel very uncomfortable in his own skin.

Some greetings he could barely understand were exchanged, and Shizune even hugged him before starting to leave. " I'll… go and see Naruto, so you two get a chance to talk. Where's his room?"

Nearly unwilling to do so he gave the instructions. And in a matter of seconds they were left alone into a heavy silence.

It took a minute before Iruka spoke. " So… How have things been for you?"

Muscles working subconsciously, he moved a hand to cover the scar nearby his left eye. " I think you made your opinion very clear that day. You're not interested." His voice was chillingly calm and even, held back a storm that'd be disastrous once it erupted. " So let's not have this discussion. After all, you did come here for Naruto, right?"

Judging by the way Iruka bit his lip without noticing it, those words had slashed deep. " I wasn't supposed to hurt you."

His eyes narrowed when a memory hit harder than any knife.

/ _" What… the hell are you doing?!" The pain on his cheek, or even what he felt when a shard of glass hit the skin nearby his left eye, was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. " Get off me, NOW!"_ /

It'd been the first time he'd ever tried to tell someone he loved them. It'd taken three years before he'd dared to try again.

" You never gave me a chance to explain and apologize." Iruka's voice snatched him back from the dark shadows of past. When meeting his darker ones, those brown eyes were so sincere that it took his all to not look away. " We were good friends, remember? I never wanted to lose that, to have you disappear from my life." While the other spoke the man's hand moved towards him – to grab his shoulder like back when they'd been younger, he knew.

He took a sharp breath, dodging the touch. " I'm happy now, for the first time in my life. Whatever I thought I wanted back then… It's in the past." He looked right into the brunette's eyes, feeling no remorse or sadness, instead nearly choking at the sensation of something having been wrapped around his neck. " Your wife's right upstairs. Take care of her and Naruto. When it comes to me, you have nothing to worry about."

Iruka opened his mouth, seeming so desperate that for just a moment he was almost willing to give in, but all words became halted when Shizune appeared into the room. The raven's eyes carried clearly visible fear. " Naruto wasn't in his room."

* * *

Naruto had already lost track of how long they'd been in the party while he found himself dancing, willing the music to carry all his troubles away for the time being. He almost succeeded.

Almost.

Sakura gave him a meaningful glance when noticing his eyes straying towards where Sasuke had disappeared for the umpteenth time. " Still no trace of him?"

He shook his head, emitting a growl. In all honesty he was more worried than anything else, but he wasn't about to tell that to the pinkette. " I bet he's dumped us here", he declared. " Or then he's watching us from somewhere and having fun at our expense."

Sakura chuckled just a bit, then looked like she was about to leave. " I have to go to a bathroom. If he comes back make sure he won't run away again."

He snorted. " Like I could…"

He was alone for about a minute and a half before suddenly spotting a familiar figure approaching. His chest turned lighter in an instant when Sasuke was stood beside him, seeming deep in thought. " Where's your buddy?"

Sasuke's eyes changed a bit. " Juugo… had something he needed to finish up."

He nodded, not even trying to hide how puzzled he was. It wasn't until then he paid attention to how different Sasuke's voice had sounded from before, how much hazier those onyx orbs were. His eyes narrowed while understanding appeared. " Sasuke, are you… drunk?!"

The raven's eyes flashed. " None of your business."

Like he found himself doing a lot around the raven, he moved before ever thinking about it coherently. His arms laced around Sasuke's waistline, and he pulled the boy so close that there was no way the other could've escaped. His nose wrinkled at the reek of alcohol. " You fucking moron…", he more sighed than hissed. " Why the hell do you keep doing this to yourself? Do you want to…?" He couldn't bring himself to say the last word.

Sasuke's eyes darkened and flashed red when a coloured light hit them. The raven tried to wiggle out of his embrace but he held on, determined to not give up. " Just let go, will you? Just stop this. Leave me alone."

He shook his head vehemently. " You can kick or punch me, or even try to kill me if you like, but I'm not letting you go back to those freaks. I refuse to believe you'd be a lost cause."

They moved the exact same moment a new song started, looking like they were dancing. Both shivered uncontrollably.

/ _**I have been waiting all of my life  
for you to come along and make everything alright  
My body's shaking right through my bones,  
so take me by the hand please don't leave me here alone.  
And I wonder if you know just how I feel, I feel. yeah And I wonder how I know if this is real, is real.**_ /

Dark eyes flashed with desperate need the Uchiha couldn't hide. " You can't keep me on a leash forever. I'll go, one way or another."  
" I know." His voice was husky, unfamiliar. " But I'll keep holding on as long as it takes to bring you back to your senses."

Sasuke scoffed, eyes burning. " Idiot…"

Neither noticed that their moves continued.

/ _**Cause I want you to save me, just please save me, save me.  
Cause I need you to save me, just please save me, save me.  
Cause I want you to save me, just please save me, save me.  
Cause I need you to save me, just please save me, save me.**_ /

The beat of music and heat started to make Naruto feel so dizzy that he barely heard Sasuke's voice. " Why?" Onyx orbs were demanding while all but nailing his. " Why the hell are you doing this?"

His breath felt unnaturally hot when he leaned his forehead against Sasuke's, unable to restrain himself. " I told you, remember?" he murmured, letting one hand make its way to the boy's cheek although the Uchiha shivered violently against the gesture. " I'm not going to let you slip away. Besides…" He shrugged. " You helped me the other day. I'm trying to return the favor here."

The raven snorted, although it sounded strangely husky. " Then what?" The black eyes meeting his weren't soulless anymore, instead filled with so much that he was surprised the other wasn't gasping under the weight. " You've got enough problems with yourself. Just take care of them and stop trying to drive me insane." He could feel faint vibrations underneath his fingertips when Sasuke shuddered.

' _Geez, kit!_' a voice purred inside his skull. ' _If you won't move soon, I will._'

He wasn't sure if it was because of the intoxicating warmth, the chilling atmosphere of this place or the hypnotizing music playing in the background, but he took a firm step forth, moving so that he was entrapping Sasuke against a wall.

Furious black orbs clashed against his, and there was what sounded like a hiss coming from the boy. " What the hell are you doing?"

He couldn't speak, couldn't think. The next thing he realized was that his lips were pressed to the Uchiha's surprisingly soft ones.

/ _**Cause I want you to save me, just please save me, save me.  
Cause I need you to save me, just please save me, save me.  
Cause I want you to save me, just please save me, save me.  
Cause I need you to save me, just please save me, save me.**_ /

As the song faded away, he finally realized what he was doing and gasped, taking two steps backwards with fear, not daring to meet Sasuke's face. He closed his eyes, waiting for whatever judgment there was to come. Nothing happened.

Exhaling deeply, he opened his eyes slowly, and felt a pang in his chest when discovering that Sasuke was gone. His throat felt very dry and sore all of a sudden.

What the heck have I done? What was I…?

" Naruto? Did Sasuke came back?" Turning around quite unwillingly, he met Sakura's confused face, and for some reason felt even worse than before. " Where is he?"

He shook his head, still not finding his voice.

He… had no idea. He had no clue about anything anymore.

* * *

TBC, dattebayo!

* * *

1) To those who don't know... Hanabi's name really does mean fireworks. Cool, ne?

* * *

A/N: (groans) And there goes the teme, leaving the poor kitsune alone into confusion…

Awkay, judging by how blocked my nose is getting, it's time for me to head off. But before that, **PLEASE** leave a review before you go! Awww, c'mon, I know you want to… (shows some delicious slices of chocolate cake a bribe)

Until next time, folks! 'Hope you'll all stop by then – and that it appears before too long…

Peace out!

* * *

**To those who are curious, about the poll I mentioned some time ago.**

Well, well… It seems there's quite a clear leader already – which means that the first chapter of the winner may be launched even before January!

Those who've voted already, THANK YOU, from the very bottom of my heart – you guys have been lifesavers, and there are so many of you (almost SIXTY people have voted already, can you believe that?!)! BUT… The situation is much tighter when it comes to which of my possible ideas places second. Plus, of course, everything's still possible. So hold on tight, and if you haven't voted yet I suggest you to do so now, for every vote counts. (grins)

Would you like me to give you a report as to how what the poll situation is now?

* * *

**hug+meyoudie**: Awww – thank you so much for the offer! (HUGS, and hands your knife back) FORTUNATELY, I've managed to get one loyal proofreader already. But if I ever need a second one, I'll DEFINITELY contact you, yeah? (grins)

Colossal thank yous for the review! 'Hope I'll keep seeing you around.


	8. Between How It Is And How It Should Be

A/N: Phew! I'm so sorry it's taken me a while to update, but I've been freakishly busy (I swear, if I hear words 'exam' and 'presentation' even one more time…), and I've had a ton of things on my mind. (winces) BUT, here it is – the new chapter is FINALLY done! Hooray!  
First, of course… Gosh, you guys, thank yous so much for those heart swelling reviews! (HUGS, and also gives all kinds of chocolates to reviewers) You guys have worked miracles with pushing me through scrabbling this one up in the middle of all the hassle. THANK YOU! (**Anonymous reviewers**, look for a reply to your review from underneath the chappy, yeah?) And again, special thanks to my wonderful proofreader **Serenityofthematrix**!

OKAY, okay, put those pitchforks down, we'll get going… three… two… one… NOW!

Enjoy, yeah?

* * *

When coming back to Konoha, Naruto expected to get into trouble. He came to realize that his imagination could've never come up with what he faced.

As most parents, Iruka did shout when he did stupid things – sometimes, like an hour after his return from the party, he could actually see a vein swell on his foster father's temple. But the shouting was never the worst part. The thing that got to him the most was the sadness he found in those brown eyes looking into his. " Naruto, what the heck were you thinking?! You could've gotten robbed or worse!" The man's eyes then softened. " What's wrong?"

He swallowed thickly, feeling trapped and out of breath. " I… I don't know." Realizing that there was no point in lying to the man who was closer than a father to him he gave a shuddering sigh, not daring to face the older. " I… I got scared, okay? Kyuubi, Kabuto…" Always having been used to playing tough, he bowed his head in shame when heat trickled to his cheeks, and desperately tried to muffle the sob that came. " It's too much. I needed a break." He grit teeth. " I want them out of my life, Iruka! I… I want them out of my damn head!"

-

Iruka's eyes were filled with something close to stun when he watched his foster son break down into silent, proud tears, both suddenly very small fists clenched desperately.

Naruto had always been good at bottling things inside, but this, tonight… was something the boy had needed for a long time already. A trigger that had finally smash down at least some of the damn that'd been building up for far too long inside the boy.

With somewhat careful moves, he wrapped one arm around the teen, and shivered with surprise when the boy – still a kid, he reminded himself – clung to him as though for dear life, shoulders quaking and body shuddering with emotions the blonde was desperate to hold back.

He didn't know for how long he held on to Naruto until the blonde finally went somewhat limp, falling into sleep. Careful not to wake the teen, he laid the boy to the bed and tugged him in.

Once finally leaving, he wasn't surprised at all when finding Shizune behind the room's door. She gazed towards him with questioning, worried eyes. " How is he?"

He sighed heavily, feeling a headache attacking. " In even more pieces than I thought, but asleep. And the Kyuubi didn't break through."

She nodded, seeming to relax. " That's good." Very gently, she took one of his hands. " Now let's go to bed, okay? Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

-

Some hours later, Naruto woke up to small, strange sounds he couldn't identify. Making sure Neji – who'd returned at some point and was now for once asleep – wouldn't wake up, he made his way to a window. He blinked at the sight outside.

Quite close to the mansion's porch, Juugo threw a couple of more tiny stones to a window he knew to be Kakashi and Yamato's, then – as light went on – ran away as fast as humanly possible. Moving his gaze again, he felt his heart twinge. Apparently, Juugo had left something unfinished, because Sasuke was resting against the porch's railing, passed out he suspected. Every single cell in his body would've wanted to run there, but common sense or something like that nailed him to the spot. Soon enough Kakashi appeared, and carried Sasuke inside with a gloomy expression.

He went back to bed after staring at the empty spot the raven had left for about five minutes, but couldn't get any sleep with the Uchiha's taste still lingering on his lips, giving a somewhat searing sensation. It was like acid, yet he couldn't deny wanting to feel it again.

He sighed deeply, rubbing his tired eyes.

_This is going to be a long night…_

* * *

CHAPTER 8: Between How It Is And How It Should Be

* * *

The next dawning days were well among the longest ones in Naruto's life. Not only did he get grounded and punished along with Sasuke, but the raven was also avoiding him.

That wasn't his only worry. Considering how badly he would've wanted a chance to sort things out with the Uchiha, it was amusing how determinedly _he_ in turn wanted to get away from Kabuto.

Even that day – with pretty much the whole mansion having headed for a little trip to a forest lined meadow near Konoha – he'd succeeded rather well. That was until he saw Kabuto approaching from the corner of his eye and felt his heart perform a strange jump.

Faster than should've been possible he bolted behind a nearby tree, then leaned against it while panting heavily.

' _Kit, you're being an idiot. Why don't you just let me take care of him?_' The voice was filled with impatience. ' _Just ten seconds, and…_'

" Naruto." His blood turned icy and he gave a hollow gasp. Slowly and unwillingly, he turned his head to find Kabuto stood directly beside him with a strange expression.

His eyes squinted to slits. " What do you want?"

The boy remained silent for a couple of seconds. " _That_ day… You dropped something." A hand was outstretched towards him. " Remember this?"

His eyes widened a bit when he recognized the offering. It was a necklace that held a stunningly beautiful, crystal like emblem – a priced symbol he'd thought he'd never see again. Moves cautious, he took the jewelry, glancing at the gray haired with suspicion. " Why?"

Kabuto shrugged, turning away. If there was an answer he didn't hear it.

It wasn't many times he would've felt as confused as he did when lowering his gaze back to the necklace, admiring how the sunrays danced on it.

" Well how about that." Iruka's (who'd tagged along to keep an eye on him, and to avoid Kakashi who'd stayed in the mansion) voice caused him to jump a little. The man's eyes were thoughtful while watching Kabuto's retreating back. " Maybe you're not the only one who's trying to grow up."

" Yeah…", he muttered, ripping his gaze off of the necklace. " Maybe."

His eyes then spotted something that despite all caught his attention. On the stony shoreline of a river nearby, Sasuke was carrying a bucket full of equipment for washing up Bucephalus, which was eyeing the raven with deep mistrust.

Even with the little knowledge he had of horses, he knew that the Uchiha would need a helping hand very soon.

" Just go already." Iruka's voice and face carried deep amusement. " And don't try to pretend you don't want to – you can barely hold still."

He shrugged, trying to keep his right foot from fidgeting. " It's not like that bastard would accept any help."

" Well, you've never been afraid of challenges, have you?" His foster father gave his shoulder a gentle push. " Show him what you're made of."

He grinned slightly. " Thanks."

Bracing himself once more, he started to march towards the Uchiha, never noticing the knowing look Iruka had on his face.

-

After watching Naruto for a moment, Iruka spotted movement from the corner of his eye. The tiny smile that'd been on his lips faded when he faced Yamato, who seemed to be deep in thought.

Naruto wasn't the only one who had a job to do.

The brunette seemed surprised, to say the least, when seeing him approach. " Iruka? Is something wrong?" The tension in the other's voice was a clear sign of how badly this needed to be done.

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. " Look… I know what Kakashi can be like at times. But… you don't really know the person he was about ten years ago." He looked at the other straight into eyes. " He doesn't give his heart away lightly, but I can tell he's done just that for you. He's _never_ looked at anyone like he does you."

The other frowned. " What… are you saying?"

Suddenly, he found it hard not to smile. " What he felt for me was a stupid crush but he _loves_ you, Yamato. And if you love him, too, stop pushing him away. I'll never forgive myself for throwing away our friendship – you, don't toss aside something even more valuable."

With those words he left, feeling the other's confused, thoughtful gaze on his back.

-

In the meantime, completely unaware of the adults' drama, Naruto managed to make his way to Sasuke – and not a moment too soon.

Hearing some birds chirping, Bucephalus moved nervously, by doing so hitting Sasuke (who'd been in a terrible position to begin with) so that the raven started to fall towards the stony ground. He managed to catch the Uchiha exactly a second before the boy would've hit the stones under their feet, and didn't manage to bring himself to let go. (Not that the other would've struggled much at the moment, either.)

Their eyes smoldered when observing the other. " What do you think you're doing?" the raven inquired eventually, voice sharp.

" Saving your sorry ass, that's what." He then glanced towards the equipment the other had dropped. " It looks like you could use a hand."

Sasuke growled, finally remembering to rip himself off of his arms. " Dobe, I can make it just fine on my own. So get going before you'll get yourself hurt."

He rolled his eyes. " Stop being a moron. Wasn't that supposed to be my department?"

The raven sighed with exasperation, muttering something incoherent. He was still determined to not give up.

Sasuke's hand shuddered when his landed on top of it, and the raven cast a questioning look towards him. At that exact second rain started to fall, heavily. " You really are a persistent one."

He couldn't fight off a grin, nor did he manage to deny himself from thinking that the boy looked… very pretty, actually, when the rain caused black locks to straighten and frame his pale face. " See, teme?" he stated matter-of-factly. " It won't kill you to ask for help every once in a while."

The raven made a strange sound, then jumped onto Bucephalus' back, effectively halting all their physical contact. " Let's just get going before the weather gets any worse." The boy had stormed out of his reach faster than he could blink.

He gave a loud growl of frustration, feeling a vein swell. " That stupid, arrogant, stuck-up…" He yelped when someone smacked the back of his head, then turned his gaze abruptly to find Sakura. " What was that for?!"

The girl's eyes flashed. " Didn't I tell you _not_ to talk about him like that when you first came to Konoha?"

He rubbed the back of his skull with a scoff. " I don't understand why you're defending him like that, anyway. He's the most infuriating person ever walked on the face of this planet!"

One corner of Sakura's mouth twitched. " True. But…" She bit her lip, as though about to cross a line of some sort. She then sighed, visibly choosing to press on. " Look… I've been his friend since the age of five – I even had a huge crush on him over half of that time. So… I know him pretty well. And... I'm asking you not to give up just yet."

He frowned. " Why not?"

The girl sighed again. " Naruto, since his parents died… He hasn't been the same. He's sunken pretty deep into the shadows of his mind, and he's been hurt by a lot of people. But since you appeared… I've seen a lot of glimpses of the person he once was." She smiled. " You can pull him out of that mess, because you're the only one he let's close enough. And no one cares about him like you do."

He quirked an eyebrow. " What's that supposed to mean?"

She chuckled. " Oh c'mon, it's pretty obvious that you've had a crush on him since you first met."

He felt like choking on his mere breath. " What?!" Unfortunately, his laughter didn't sound convincing. " That's gotta be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"  
Sakura rolled her eyes. " Yeah, whatever…" She then started to make her way towards her horse. " Now let's go before we'll both catch a cold."  
-

Along with Sakura and Iruka's, there was also one dark pair of eyes that'd been observing Sasuke and Naruto.

Itachi gave his brother an inquisitive look when the younger boy rode to his side. " What was that all about?"

The younger scoffed. " About Naruto being an idiot." The boy seemed to rush Bucephalus on. " Now let's get away from here – it looks like we'll have to wash the horses in Konoha, after all."

Knowing that there was no point in starting out an argument against his brother he followed. They rode for about five minutes until he spoke. " He really cares about you, you know? You should stop pushing him away."

Sasuke emitted a sound that was probably supposed to be indignant, but he found a flash from the boy's eyes that gave him hope.

Maybe there'd be someone to take his place, after all…

* * *

Later that afternoon, Neji decided to give in to his instincts and stop thinking for a moment.

His horse gave him a questioning, nearly disbelieving look when he loosened the bridle, giving the animal a permission to go wherever it pleased. In some other state of mind he might've chuckled a bit, or at least snorted with amusement. " That's right, old boy", he confirmed. " Now get moving before I change my mind – I've been doing far too much of that lately."

As though understanding him the horse did as ordered and sprinted into a run he would've never imagined it to be capable of. Grass and leaves flew as they went.

After miles, it felt to him, the horse finally decided that it was time to stop. Only his fast reflexes kept him from tumbling down from the animal's back when it made a sudden halt, happily attacking the green grass by a forest line so close to the mansion he could see the building.

He heard a snort, and after a moment realized that it came from him. " So much for that great escape…" He then stiffened and frowned when hearing sounds from amongst the trees. " Who's there?"

When no response came, he made a grumpy sound and jumped off the animal's back. " You, stay here." After receiving a slight movement of an ear as his only reply, he trekked into the forest. It didn't take long before he spotted a figure hunched against a tree. " Who's there?" he repeated his question from before, more sharply this time, and balled a fist. " If you don't make a sound, I…" All words died into his throat when he finally recognized his companion. He frowned and stopped in his tracks, completely clueless as to of how to proceed. " Gaara?" His voice was far softer and quieter than he'd indented. " What are you doing this close to the mansion? Someone could've seen you." Like they'd ever cared about that before…

The redhead refused to look at him, judging by stiff posture seeming to drift between pained and ashamed. " I… had no other place to go."

He frowned once more. (Apparently, he mused, Gaara was pretty good at making him do that.) " What do you mean?" No matter how hard he'd told himself he wouldn't care, he still moved, eventually cupping the other boy's chin into his hand. With worry, he noticed that the boy winced under the faintest touch. " Hey, what…?" Nothing more came.

He'd thought he'd seen the worst of all beatings when Gaara had visited him the previous time. But now… He officially wanted to vomit. Now he could see that there wasn't an inch of skin left un-bruised, and one of the redhead's amazing eyes was swollen so badly that it refused to open. The boy's lower lip was also split to half, and some blood still oozed although the wound was old (and infected, he couldn't help noticing). Looking down – as though having some ridiculous hope that the damage would be milder there – he came close to whimpering uncharacteristically. Gaara's right arm… It was hanging in an unnatural angle, obviously broken.

Swallowing down a sigh, he fought to meet the boy's eyes. " Have you shown this to a doctor?"

Gaara trembled visibly, open eye narrowing. " You know what I think about those people. Besides… Who'd even treat me?"

Yes, he still felt that not every piece of him was in the right place, wouldn't be for a long time to come, and knew that following his impulses would be a huge mistake. But right then, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

Gaara shuddered slightly when he wrapped one arm around the redhead, not pulling the other closer but holding on just firmly enough to make his presence known.

Gaara glanced towards him with great confusion. " Why?"

He shook his head, because in all honesty… He had no idea. It took long before he found his voice. " Who did this to you?"

The redhead's eye wandered off. " Neji, don't."

A dark, sick feeling found its way into the pit of his stomach, and he swallowed. " Gaara, who?" It couldn't be, couldn't possibly…

The redhead's open eye was filled with so much that it almost suffocated him. " I… I'm sorry."

His head was buzzing so badly that he had no chance to stop Gaara before the boy had already walked away. (He never noticed how his hand reached out for the redhead's.) Feeling a headache of the millennium rising, he lifted his gaze towards the darkening sky and fought the urge to scream.

What the hell was he going to do?

* * *

Naruto had always been impulsive, to say the least. He also wasn't the type that left problems laying around when facing such. And sure enough, when facing Sasuke near stables that late afternoon he acted loyal to his nature.

His eyes all but narrowed with determination. " We need to talk."

The raven groaned when turning to look towards him, dark eyes stating that the boy would've wanted to be anywhere else at the moment. " Now what do you want?"

He snorted. " Like you wouldn't know. You've been running away from me for four days already, and I'm getting really, really sick of it!" he snarled with flaming eyes, feeling blood rushing right underneath his unnaturally hot skin. " I don't regret that stupid kiss, okay? Not even one bit, not anymore. And I'm not going to let you do so, either. You've gotta stop running away from me."

Was that… surprise he saw in Sasuke's eyes? It disappeared so quickly that he couldn't really tell. The raven turned his gaze to a spot far away, seeming to swallow down a burst of some sort. " Why can't you just let me be?" the boy asked quietly, folding a pair of arms so tightly that it almost created an armor. " What do I have to do to make you understand that I don't need something like you in my life?"

He tilted his head a bit with a frown, his ears sharpening to certain words. " Something… like me?" He wasn't entirely sure why, but he felt something like hope and licked his lips. " What… am I, then?"

Sasuke scoffed and tried to get away, but he wasn't willing to give in. " A pain in the ass", the raven all but snarled, eyes burning red. The Uchiha seemed to gasp for air. " I've gotta get away from here, damnit! Let go of me already!"

But oh, Naruto wasn't about to give in just like that. Sasuke made a choked sound when he pulled the Uchiha closer, wrapping his arms tenderly around the resistant teen. The raven fought him for so long that for a moment he actually thought he'd have to let go, but eventually the struggling died down to a choked growl.

Sasuke emitted a pant he could only call exhausted while burying his face into his jacket, and he held on as tightly as he possibly could. He barely managed to comprehend the Uchiha's breathless murmur. " Moron…"

He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh, burst into tears, groan or something else while he lifted his gaze towards the sky, as though asking for strength.

In all, utter honesty he had no idea of where this was all going – where _anything_ was going. But right now he felt that he was where he belonged, and _it _was silent. And nothing else really mattered at the moment.

* * *

It was still raining hard when Neji stood by the furthest stall of Konoha, only his dignity keeping him from tapping his foot with impatience.

Eventually, the one he'd expected appeared through the shadows, seeming somewhat confused. " 'Sorry I'm late – there was a crisis in the orphanage." Zaku's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of his expression. " What's with the face?"

He was sick of circling around, and too tired to think of how his words came out. His pale eyes narrowed. " I know what you did to Gaara." His voice was icy, unforgiving, while their eyes met. He felt deep pleasure once finding that the other seemed… scared, almost. " Did you really think I'd accept something like that?"

Zaku swallowed, eyes flashing hazardously. " You… weren't supposed to find out." No denial, no apologies, no explanations. To Neji, that was the final straw.

He snorted. " You're unbelievable – I should've known you hadn't changed." He whirled around, intending to walk away. " Zaku, get away from here before I do something I wouldn't even regret. I don't want to see you in my eyes ever again."

A hand wrapped around his wrist, forcing him to halt. " Then what the hell are you doing?" Zaku all but snarled. " Are you seriously going back to _him_, after what he did?"

He grit teeth, feeling like the touch on his wrist had burned all the way underneath his skin. " No", he hissed, unable to convince himself into looking at the boy behind him. " But I can't stay with someone who does things like this, either."

Zaku's grip became so tight that bone was nearly fractured. " I did it for you!"

" I don't care!" He stunned himself with actually bellowing this. " I don't care, okay? I just want you to get the fuck out of my life."

Time stilled, until Zaku let go so abruptly that he was mildly startled. " Fine", the boy spat out. " But let me assure you, this isn't over. I've never given up without a fight."

He turned his gaze with a frown to find the other walking away, head held high and muscles so tense that he could barely imagine what was going through the teen's head.

All of a sudden he had a very bad feeling about the course of things…

His ears twitched, and he turned his gaze just in time to see Shikamaru approaching. The brunette glanced towards Zaku with some bemusement. " Who was that creep?"

His eyes darkened. " No one." He then forced all his concentration on the other, fighting to keep the rush of adrenaline he had under control. " What's going on?"

Shikamaru all but smirked. " We've got a little… project underway. Seeing as it's about Hinata, we figured you might want to join in."

He arched an eyebrow.

* * *

Neji's eyes carried deep disbelief while he stared at Shikamaru's face about half an hour later. " You've gotta be kidding me." He folded his arms. " You do realize that Hiashi will kill you once he finds out about this, right?"

Shikamaru shrugged. " Most likely. But considering the circumstances, that chance is worth taking."

Looking to side, he couldn't help but agree. Haku was stood before a nearby window, the boy's stiff posture suggesting that he was listening intently, anxiously. He could only imagine what Hinata was going through.

His mind was made up. " Fine. I'll do it." His eyes flashed. " I have some questions for my uncle, anyway."

-

What Neji and Shikamaru didn't know, was that Haku barely heard them. All the boy's attention was fixed on shadowy days that were mostly a blur to him now.

* * *

/ _" Zabuza-sama… Are you alright?" With deep worry, he watched how the man wiped blood from the corners of his lips. " We can reschedule if you don't feel well enough."_

_Just as he'd expected, the man merely made a barking sound, wiping a couple of more blood drops from lips. " No, Haku." The man looked towards him with stony eyes. " You know well what weakness means in this business. So no delays." Very slowly and with as much grace as possible the man straightened his tall form. " Call him in. It's time."_

_With utter reluctance he obeyed._

_Five days later he woke up in a hospital, with the news that he'd been kept in a coma to let his injuries heal. Twenty-four hours later, newspapers reported that a man's body had been found in a river. That day, the hardest storm in the history of Japan blew._

_Haku was the only one who grieved._ /

* * *

His eyes became even darker than usual.

He'd already let down a precious person once. He wasn't about to do it again.

" So we're going to do it." Shikamaru's words caused his heart to jump. " Tomorrow."

He peered over his shoulder to see Neji give a nod of confirmation.

_Tomorrow…_

His eyes returned to the window once more, emotions dancing in them.

He only wished it wasn't too late already…

* * *

Even Naruto didn't have the slightest idea of how he managed to do it, but eventually he found himself sitting on a couch, with Sasuke in his rather firm hold. Hard as he tried, he couldn't focus on the movie they were supposedly watching.

Judging by how tense Sasuke was, neither could the raven. " Exactly how long are you going to keep me trapped like this?" the boy demanded, voice filled with emotions the other was probably unaware of.

He shrugged. " Dunno. Long enough to know for sure that you're not about to run, I guess." There was a long silence, after which he gave in to his impulses once more. " Look… I heard about your parents." He swallowed thickly. " I'm… sorry. I know it's not easy without them."

Sasuke stiffened like an arrow about to be shot, and even he knew he'd just triggered a dangerous nerve. He expected a full blown rant, but became baffled when instead came a worn out " Hn". Apparently he'd managed to exhaust the Uchiha.

With that information, he found it safe to pry further. Obviously this was something the raven hadn't dealt with properly just yet – maybe he'd be able to push some right buttons. " What happened?"

The physical reaction to his question was ten times stronger than the one he'd been expecting. If it was even possible Sasuke tensed up still, and with how tightly he was holding the boy he could feel every single unnaturally huge intake of wheezing breath. " They…" He could tell they were both equally stunned when there was a response. " … were butchered, okay? Brutally, mindlessly. And I… I just…" All words faded away, and it wasn't necessary to see the boy's face to know how close to rolling tears were despite all resistance.

His eyes widened when a horrifying thought started to sink in. " Sasuke…" _You… saw the whole thing, didn't you? You…_ He then sighed heavily, looking at the fragile being before him. If he'd push further from here, he might break something beyond repair. It was time to stop, no matter how badly he would've wanted the raven to open up even further. " Look… It'll get easier, okay?" Not really thinking of what he was doing, he started to stroke the other's black hair, stunned by the softness he met. " I know it's hard to believe, but you'll get over it."

There was a long, thick silence until came a whisper he barely caught. " When?"

He chuckled darkly. " I'll tell you when I know."

Peaceful silence lingered from then, as though something very important had just taken place. After an hour or so, he was first startled, then smiled when Sasuke went completely limp against him, having fallen into a deep, much needed slumber.

He couldn't help noticing that _it_ was still silent when he had the raven in his arms.

-

Neither of them knew that Itachi was observing them with a small, poignant smile.

It was incredible how sad and utterly relieved he felt at the same time.

He disappeared like a shadow, leaving the two alone to soothe each other's scars.

* * *

Kakashi had had a long day. Not only had pretty much every horse in the stable decided to cause havoc, but it also seemed the kids were developing far more drama than he could keep up with. Iruka's presence did nothing to help, either.

It was during days like this he wondered – silently, of course – if he was too old for his job.

Sensing a presence as he stood on a porch, he was relieved to find Yamato. " How are the rascals doing?"

" They're surprisingly calm, although my instincts are warning that there's hassle incoming." Was that… mischief he saw in those brown eyes? " And it looks like Naruto's making sure Sasuke won't run away tonight."

" Good." He stretched a bit. " Maybe that means we'll get some sleep."

The change on Yamato's face – although he would've never admitted it – startled him a bit. " Maybe later." Eyes flashed towards him. " We need to talk."

He nodded stiffly. (If he had not been so worked up, he would've noticed that the brunette held his hand while they went back inside.)

He'd prepared himself for a long, very unpleasant night when they entered their bedroom. That's why only his pride kept him from falling flat on his buttocks when the sight met him.

The entire room was filled with candles, and leaves of white roses were scattered all over their bed. Faint, beautiful music could be heard.

Yamato made a sound of amusement. " Why are you so shocked? Don't tell me you forgot our anniversary." The man walked closer, laced a pair of arms around him and leaned to his ear. " What do you say…", the brunette murmured, giving his ear a tiny bite. " … if we skip the 'talking' part?"

He was very happy to consent. Several hours later, he gave Yamato a beautiful necklace he'd bought five months earlier.

Needless to say, he didn't feel anything close to old anymore.

* * *

That evening, Ino finally faced the confrontation she'd dreaded for days already. When she was coming out of a bathroom Kabuto was there waiting for her. Faster than she could step away he'd all but pinned her to a wall. " Got you now." His eyes moved from her stomach to eyes. " We need to talk."

" Kabuto, just leave", she all but screamed out, sounding like a female lion protecting their young. " You… You made me do all those things, and then you bastard went and…" Her throat tightened so badly that she couldn't get the last words out.

Kabuto's eyes changed, became unfamiliar, and eventually moved to her already swelling bump. " What about the baby? You can't just…"

" He's not yours", she snarled lowly, eyes narrowing, and subconsciously moved a hand to shield her stomach. " He's not yours, okay? I'm far too many months along."

Understanding flashed in the boy's eyes. " Sai."

She nodded and grit teeth while looking down, praying that there wouldn't be questions. She didn't want to talk about Sai, especially with Kabuto.

Once more, the gray haired didn't have a clue of what she wanted. " I… never knew you were that close."

She felt like snarling, screaming, but all the roars remained locked tightly into her chest. " We were", she murmured in a desolate voice. " And we still could be, if…" She hoped from the bottom of her heart that she would've managed to keep tears from filling her eyes, but after holding it all in for so long the pressure was just too much.

* * *

/ _Ino already had a feeling that she was making a huge mistake when sneaking through the hallways of a tiny factory. Orochimaru's voice echoed in her head._

" _If you want to get something…", the man had said. " … you'll have to get me something I want. It's only fair, no?"_

_Only common sense kept her from snorting._

I can't believe I'm doing this. I don't even know what I'm looking for_, she mused while tiptoeing forth, heart thumping close to her throat. _Maybe I should just…

" _Ino, what the hell are you doing?"_

_Her nerves strained to their extreme, she jumped at Sai's hushed voice, then turned slowly with a thick gulp. She blinked three times when meeting familiar eyes. " What… are you doing here?"_

_Dark depths hardened. " Keeping you from making the biggest mistake of your entire life."_

_She scoffed, folding her arms. " Thanks, but I can take care of myself."_

_She could see Sai came close to chuckling bitterly. " Yes, I can tell." The boy's chest rose a bit with a restrained sigh. " Ino, you don't have to do this. Just come with me and I'll take you home. You can still bring an end to this."_

_Home… She had to confess that was a tempting thought._

_Her hand twitched, so slightly that Sai couldn't see it, when she made up her mind. She was just about to take a step forth until everything happened much too fast for her to understand._

_There was a sharp, short bang that almost exploded her ears. After that time stood still for a millisecond – until blood stained the front of Sai's dark shirt while the boy's eyes widened. It wasn't until the boy had fallen did she finally manage to scream, not even caring who'd hear. " SAI!"_

_Before waking up in a hospital, the last thing she remembered was someone all but shouting. " Hiashi, what the hell did you do?!"_

_As far as she was concerned, she'd killed Sai. That's why she didn't attend the boy's funeral. Two months later Kabuto claimed her for the first time._ /

* * *

" You're still hanging on to him, aren't you?" Kabuto's voice felt like a suffocating rope when pulling her out of the memories. The boy's eyes were filled with something that chilled her. " I can't believe this! After all this time, you still can't let go of that…"

The boy's words were halted when her open hand moved, coming less than an inch from the other teen's face. Her eyes filled with lava. " Kabuto, get the hell away from me, because if you say another word about him I swear to God…" Her words faded away.

" Fine." To her stun, the boy actually turned around. " I'll talk to you when you're in a bit more coherent state." She kept following the teen's back until she could be sure he was gone.

A huge cramp then appeared to stomach, forcing her to mew with pain and put both of her hands to cover it.

So this was too much for even the baby…

Her legs becoming weak, she pulled them to her chest while slumping to the floor, her back leaning against the wall and forehead resting against one kneecap. Muffled sobs were the only sounds breaking the smothering silence.

* * *

To say the very least, Sasuke wasn't used to waking up on someone's lap. That's why he stiffened completely when feeling warm hands on him. His mind buzzed, trying to find answers.

What… the heck was going on? When had he fallen asleep?

" Morning, teme." After a moment's stun, he moved his head just enough to meet Naruto's face. The blonde seemed exhausted. " I thought you'd sleep until the morning."

He blinked sluggishly, finally starting to remember. Yes, they'd been watching a movie…

He glanced towards the TV-screen, only to find that ending credits were already rolling.

" You missed a pretty good movie", Naruto commented. " That Namikaze-kid saved his friend and became a hero at the end."

He made a 'Hn'. " How original."

He tensed up at first, then leaned involuntarily against the touch when the blonde ruffled his hair. " You're not one to judge when you missed half of the thing, teme." The boy's eyes then searched through his face, much more solemn. " So… Are you feeling any better? You kept having bad dreams."

He groaned and looked away, much too aware of the fact that he didn't manage to move his head from the other's lap. " We're _not_ starting this conversation again."

" Yes, we are, because we never really got started the last time around!" It was quite clear that Naruto wasn't about to back down. Looking back to the boy, he met a pair of firm, yet tender eyes. " Sasuke, I know you've been through a lot of crap. So have I. But… That's no reason for…" The boy gestured towards his way too thin frame and scarred wrists. " … _this_." The other's eyes turned almost pleading. " There are so many people who want to help you. _I_ want to help you."

He frowned, feeling uncomfortable. " Why?" It came out with such harsh sincerity that it baffled him.

Naruto blinked twice, then looked away and bit his lip, cheeks gaining what looked like a blush. Whatever there was to come, it clearly wasn't easy to say. " I… have no idea." There was a beat of tense silence. " According to Sakura, I have… a crush on you, or something."

His heart skipped a couple of vital beats, causing his chest to make an odd movement. What his dry throat eventually formed wasn't even close to what he'd intended. " Do you?"

The blonde chuckled a bit, then glanced cautiously towards him. " I… have no idea. I'd want to try and find out, but…" The rest was swallowed down.

He understood immediately.

_Juugo._

Giving a deep sigh, he looked towards the ceiling. " Juugo and I… are complicated." That was an outrageous understatement, but he wasn't about to flood the whole crap on Naruto right now. Giving a sigh, he rubbed his face with one hand, after which his eyes found the other's once more. " I'm… pretty bad at this, but…" His voice faded. _I'd like to find out, too. For the sake of my sanity._

Naruto's blue eyes were filled with question and wariness. " You're not gonna run away again, right?"

He made a somewhat choked sound. " With how tightly you're squeezing me I wouldn't be able to, no matter how hard I tried."

The blonde grinned, holding even more tightly. " Bastard."

With that, he felt a pair of lips finding his. They pressed cautiously at first – testing his reaction – then far more determinedly. Feeling warm all over he found his own lips join the dance, trying out the tender, dangerous ground. When Naruto's hand started playing with his hair while the kiss continued, all his reason floated away.

He knew that this could turn out to be a huge, bitter mistake. But right now he just couldn't bring himself to care. He'd felt cold long enough.

The world could end in the morning.

* * *

TBC, right?

* * *

A/N: Squeal time!

Awkay, because it's getting far later than I'd like and I've got a nice list of things on my 'to do' list, I REALLY should get going now.

**PLEASE**, leave a review before skipping away! Awww, I can sense you want to. (gives huge, irresistible puppy's eyes)

Until next time folks – 'hope that'll dawn soon enough (at least I've got a TON of ideas for the upcoming chappy)! Join in then, yeah?

Peace out!

* * *

**empress_of_the_plot_bunnies**: Ah, I knew cake would do the trick! (grins mischievously)

Thanks! I'm feeling tons better already. If mild cough would be so kind and subside, I'd be a ok. (smirks)

Enormous thank yous for the review! Stick around, yeah?


	9. Dare You To Move

A/N: Gosh! I'm so sorry it's taken me close to forever to update, but I've had my head all over about million things lately! (winces) BUT, I'm baaaaaack – and yes, there's also a new chapter in my back pocket! (grins and dances a bit with joy)

Firstly, of course… Tons of thank yous for those heart swelling messages! (gives all kinds of special treats to all of you) You've seriously boosted up my inspiration, so THANK YOU! (Anonymous reviewers, look for your responses from underneath the chappy, yeah?) And super-sized thanks to my wonderful proofreader **Serenityofthematrix**, as well as to **StreetRacerSakura**, who turned out to be my second proofreader due to a twist of fate! (grins)

Awkay, before you'll pull out any more weaponry… (gulps and sweatdrops) Here it is, folks – chapter nine! I truly hope you'll enjoy the ride!

* * *

Naruto had never felt a moment as surreal as he did when waking up that morning.

At first he came to realize that there was something warm pressed against him. When he lowered his gaze with great confusion, he found something that brought a bright smirk to his face.

Sure enough, Sasuke had fallen asleep right beside him, and hadn't struggled away even when his arms had laced around the raven's nearly bony frame. He'd never seen anyone look as peaceful as the boy did just then – it was as though some magical force had chased away all those shadows that'd been bothering the other teen.

Not giving the gesture a second thought, he nuzzled his head against the Uchiha so that his hair tickled the other's cheek. Sasuke emitted a tiny groan, but didn't stir. He chuckled lightly.

It was still unreal to think just how huge step he'd managed to persuade Sasuke into taking. Voicing the truth about his parents, and that kiss… He could've never imagined either one of them being able to go to that level. Heck, he would've never expected them to _want to_ go that far.

Yes, they had a long way to run. But he had to confess that he was very happy with this route.

" You look amusing when you're deep in thought, dobe."

He shuddered a bit before looking down at the raven, who's eyes were halfway open. He gave a pout. " Teme! Why didn't you tell me you're awake?"

The other snorted, most likely subconsciously nestling just a little bit closer to his warmth. " Who could sleep when someone's poking them like you were?"

He smirked sheepishly, playing with the Uchiha's hair. " 'Sorry." He watched how the other glanced towards the room's window with a slight frown, appearing deep in thought. " You never ran away, you know?"

It took a while before there was any reaction. " Hn." He didn't hesitate to return the hold when Sasuke snatched the hand that'd been caressing raven locks, squeezing it lightly. " I… felt like staying this time."

He found himself smiling. " That's good." Because he'd wanted the raven to stay as well, more than he'd ever wanted anything in his entire life. His one hand played with the boy's fingers while the other arm gathered the Uchiha as close to him as humanly possible. He was surprised Sasuke didn't resist when he placed his chin on top of the other's head. " So… Now what?"

Apparently Sasuke was the only one who didn't realize just how adorable the boy looked when shifting around and pressing his face against his chest. " How about sleeping for a couple of more hours?"

He arched an eyebrow at the sound of Sasuke's stomach roaring. " No chance, teme", he announced. He poked the boy's ribs through fabric, earning a swat at his hand. " You're starving as it is."

The raven glared at him. " I'm not hungry, deadlast."

He rolled his eyes skywards and grabbed the other's hand, blatantly ignoring the words. " C'mon." They were equally surprised by the fact that he actually managed to rip the Uchiha into a standing position. " You know it's a waste of time to fight me when I'm right."

Naruto had never been as surprised in his life as he was when the boy followed willingly, nor had he been as glad.

* * *

CHAPTER 9: Dare You To Move

* * *

Sakura had always been praised for having extremely good judgment of character. That's why it only took her one glance to realize that something had changed dramatically between Naruto and Sasuke during the night before.

Yes, Sasuke was still acting like the blonde was the most infuriating thing in the entire world and snipping at the boy, and Naruto didn't hesitate to use less than flattering nicknames and irritate the Uchiha. But a careful observer noticed the new warmth between them, and how their hands brushed together every once in a while, carefully and only at the very beginning of something amazing.

A thin trace of a smile appeared to her lips while she kept brushing her horse's soft fur.

Sasuke, of course, noticed this and gave her a weird look. " What's that amusing?"

She shrugged carelessly. " Nothing much. Just the little wonders of life."

Sasuke's mouth opened, but all words became cut off when Naruto ruffled the boy's raven locks with unexpected gentleness. " Teme, stop pestering Sakura and hand me a brush, will you?"

The Uchiha glared a little, but did as ordered anyway.

All of a sudden the peaceful afternoon ended when they all noticed Kabuto approaching with somewhat hesitant steps. Seeing her glare and Naruto's expression, the boy stopped a good fifteen steps away.

Surprisingly enough it was Sasuke who moved and spoke first. She detected one of the raven's hands grabbing Naruto's for just a couple of seconds, offering what looked like support. " Dobe, all night long you kept telling me that I should face my past and overcome it." Dark eyes met seas of blue. " Was that all a lie, or are you going to do the same?"

Naruto looked downwards, seeming confused and embarrassed. " I… It's… not easy."

Did she just see Sasuke's eyes soften? " Of course it isn't, dobe. But I know you – if anyone's stubborn and tough enough to do it, it's you."

Naruto blinked – appearing just as stunned as Sakura felt – then gave a quivering smile. " Thanks, 'Suke." It couldn't be told for sure if the nickname was intentional or caused by lack of breath.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. " Just go." _Stop worrying. It'll go fine_, onyx eyes filled in, no longer under the raven's control.

While she and Sasuke watched Naruto walking slowly towards Kabuto, Sakura found herself speaking. " I think he really needs this." She sighed, rubbing her face with both hands. " I just hope this won't be too much for him."

Sasuke's eyes remained as unreadable as they usually were. " Hn." He then turned around, starting to walk away.

She frowned. " Where are you going?"

Sasuke didn't stop or glance over his shoulder. She could barely hear the response he gave. " I… made a promise to Naruto last night. There's something I need to do."

* * *

Hiashi Hyuuga certainly wasn't a man who'd show a lot of emotions. That's why Neji was mildly surprised by all he found from his uncle's eyes when the man opened the door and saw him. " Neji?" The man, however, composed himself rather quickly. " Now what are you doing here?"

Whatever feelings there were bubbling up inside him, he refused to let them show. " There's something I've been meaning to ask you." For a moment he thought about marching over the doorstep, but in the end couldn't bring himself to do it.

Hiashi's eyebrow rose. " What would that be?"

His pale eyes turned stony when thoughts that'd been circling around his head for a long time laced together, forming a clear picture he'd failed to see until now. " Back when I was dating Deidara, and we broke up, he said something about us being worth the payment." His eyes locked straight to the man's, and it all became clear. " You paid him to leave, didn't you?"

For quite a while he was sure his uncle would lie. But for once Hiashi was honest. The man nodded slowly. " That's right." The eyes still looking into his didn't weaver. " I did what I still think was the best for you – and our family."

He wasn't sure which one of the three urges crossing his being was the strongest – to kill, to throw up or to laugh bitterly. He swallowed thickly. " You… arranged Zaku to keep Gaara away from me as well, right?"

" Yes." Hiashi's voice was almost startlingly nonchalant. " I knew that redhead would be too much of a fool to recognize a good deal. Zaku's never had such a problem."

He felt like punching his uncle, and only common sense as well as steely self control kept him still. " Do you… have any idea of what you've done?" He was snarling, which was something he'd never done in front of the older before. " You made me feel like I was something disgusting – a freak! You ripped me away from the one person I've ever loved!"

Hiashi snorted. " So now you're in love?"

He nodded, suddenly more sure than ever in his life. " Yes. And that's something no money of the Hyuuga family can change."

Hiashi didn't seem to follow. " So… what are you saying?"

" I'm saying…" He looked around the fancily decorated apartment, feeling very repulsed all of a sudden. " … that if I have to lie about everything I am, about who I love, I'm no longer a part of this family. I'm here to say goodbye."

The man snorted. " If you really want that freak so badly, then find him, stay with him. But if that's your decision, don't ever show up around here again."

Making his decision was even easier than he'd expected. With those simple steps that carried him away from the house he made his point perfectly clear.

As far as he was concerned, he was no longer a Hyuuga. And he'd never felt more relieved in his entire life.

* * *

Upstairs, Haku and Shikamaru just sneaked into Hinata's room once Haku managed to open a window in some way that was beyond Shikamaru.

At first Hinata – who'd been writing what looked like a letter – cast a startled look towards their sounds, then gasped with shock when recognizing them. There seemed to be some drug induced hue clouding her gaze while it filled with terror after a second. _You shouldn't be here_, the look said.

Obviously choosing not to listen to her soundless message, Haku walked closer. " We came to take you away from here", the boy explained, voice even softer than usually. " It's time to end this."

While observing how Haku took Hinata gently into his arms, whispering something soothing into the girl's ear while she clung to him with heartbreaking trust and _smiled_, Shikamaru faced a stunning realization.

He'd always thought love was the most troublesome feeling in the repertoire of human beings. But maybe… it really wasn't. Or at very least it held in tons more than he could've ever imagined.

Both he and Haku stiffened when hearing the sound of a door closing downstairs, and their gazes met. They were in a hurry. " I suppose we should get going", he stated the obvious in a somewhat choked voice.

Haku nodded, seeming solemn, then glanced towards Hinata. " I want you to keep your eyes closed, okay? No matter what happens."

The girl nodded without any hesitation and obeyed, then startled all three of them with speaking. " I trust you."

Haku's eyes turner warmer before meeting his once more. " Now let's go."

* * *

Downstairs, Hiashi's fuming thoughts were cut sharply by the dial tone of his cell phone. " What?" he all but snarled, not remembering to take a look at who the caller was.

" _Is that how you greet me these days?_" The sound of Gatô's voice caused his face to turn whiter than chalk.

He swallowed thickly. " I'm… sorry, I didn't…"

" _Save it._" There was a moment of irritated silence. " _I'm calling to warn you. The police are asking questions about that brat – Sai, wasn't it? – and Zabuza again. I was forced to give them traces leading to you._"

His eyes flew wide without him being able to control it. " What?!"

He didn't hear the rest, because the phone was already falling from his hand while he sped off. " _I'm warning you, Hyuuga. If you give them anything that could connect me with your stupid mess, you'll lose a lot more than your younger daughter. You won't be able to run away this time._"

By then he already stood by the doorway of Hinata's room. His heart jumped into his throat.

His daughter… was nowhere to be found. Curtains billowed eerily in front of the open window.

* * *

While sitting in the mansion's kitchen, Naruto and Kabuto lingered in a thick, uncomfortable silence for so long that both contemplated fleeing the scene.

In the end it was Kabuto who began the conversation. " Look, Naruto…"

" You made my life a living hell for years, you know?" Naruto surprised even himself with interrupting the other in a somewhat edgy tone. His hands twitched in his lap, and he couldn't bring himself to meet the other boy's gaze. " I… I almost gave in. It was too much."

' _Geez, kit!_' He'd already been expecting the voice to appear, so it didn't startle him. ' _Look what he's turned you into – you're pathetic! Why can't you just let me take care of things? I could've ended this years ago._'

" I'm sorry." Kabuto's voice caught them both by surprise, as did the look in the boy's eyes.

At that moment, he found the about last words he'd expected. " I… forgive you." He had to, for the sake of his sanity. He'd been carrying this load for too long already.

Kabuto merely nodded as a response, eyes flashing with something he couldn't recognize.

They lapsed into another, now much more comfortable silence. There was nothing more they needed to say. Big words wouldn't have done any good to the scars inside them – now, it was all up to each one of them to fix the damage.

After a couple of minutes he pushed himself up and walked away without looking back, his body feeling oddly heavy and light at the same time.

For some reason he had a feeling that there was a storm approaching.

-

From the room's second doorway, Iruka observed the scene. Gradually, a thin smile made its way to his lips.

He'd known Naruto had grown up. He'd just never realized how much.

Feeling more relieved than he had in years he turned around and walked away, leaving Kabuto alone into thoughts that can only be guessed.

* * *

While entering Orochimaru's lair – the very same building in which Naruto had stolen a kiss from him – Sasuke mused that it seemed he'd rehearsed this meeting in the very back of his mind dozens of times. But nothing could've prepared him for the real thing.

Orochimaru glanced towards him with a quirked eyebrow when he appeared into the man's office without knocking. " Ah, so you came even earlier than I expected this time around." The man tilted his head just a little bit. " Is the need that strong already?"

As a response he took off a plain, silver-shaded bracelet the man had once given him and threw it down, smashing it with his foot. " I came…" He met the older man's eyes, feeling burning everywhere underneath his skin. " … to end this shit."

Orochimaru's eyebrow bounced up once more. " Really, now?" Quite unhurriedly the man got up from his chair and walked up to him. Unnerving eyes surveyed him with what can only be called hunger, making him feel sick to his stomach. " You've still got that fire in your eyes, Sasuke-kun. You're not ready to let go of just yet – with all the things you've let me do to you I can tell." The older one's hand moved on him, skillfully tracking scars left by the man, Sasuke himself and several other people. " Those marks will start to itch and burn one day. And when that happens, I'll be right here waiting."

Feeling repulsed and dizzy he took a sharp step away, gasping slightly with relief when feeling the man's unwanted touch disappear. " You…", he hissed. " … are never going to see me again."

Orochimaru chuckled coldly. " You'd be surprised by how many times I've heard that."

He didn't listen, didn't care.

All he could focus on was getting out of the snake's nest alive and in full sanity.

-

About an hour later he was stood outside the building, watching how a trash can burned brightly, giving his cheeks a warm glow.

He didn't need to look to know who the arrival was when he heard steps. " I knew Orochimaru would send you", he commented somewhat dryly.

Juugo gave a small shrug, gaze fixed on the trash can. " What's in there?"

His eyes first darkened, then gained a fiery glow as he watched the flames. " Memories."

The other nodded slowly. Silence fell as they watched the flames dying down gradually.

" I've seen that expression before", Juugo commented finally, looking at him with his head tilted. There was something close to sadness in the boy's eyes (or maybe it was just a trick caused by light). " You're really leaving us and this place behind, aren't you?"

He nodded slowly. There was no real reason to deny it. " I… suppose I was never really here to begin with."

This time Juugo nodded, measuring him with his gaze. " Is he worth it?"

It took quite a bit of him to hide his surprise, but in the end there was no noticeable change in his eyes. " Yes, he is."

Juugo didn't nod or move even an inch, but nonetheless appeared pleased with his answer. " That's good."

This was it, he understood. A closure, a final judgment.

After casting one more look towards Juugo for old times' sake he turned around and started to walk away, finding it much easier to breathe all of a sudden.

" Take care of yourself, okay?" He stopped out of surprise caused by the other's words, but didn't look over his shoulder. " And if he ever gives you another scar… Just come and find me."

He swallowed a bit, feeling like smiling. " Hn." With that he kept walking on, refusing to look back at the pitch black hole he was finally crawling out of.

They both knew he wouldn't come back.

* * *

Sasuke was getting a splitting headache when he returned to Konoha about two hours after his meeting with Orochimaru and Juugo.

Giving up on the life he'd led for over two years was trickier than he'd imagined.

His own dark musings, however, faded away when he found Naruto in the building's library. At first he thought the blonde, who had his back to him, was reading, but soon quaking shoulders and muffled sounds proved him otherwise.

He frowned. " Naruto?" Quite slowly he walked up to the boy, and felt like wincing at how the blonde stiffened when feeling his presence. He caught on after a couple of seconds. " You… talked to Kabuto, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded, refusing to look at him. It took what felt like a full minute until there was a feeble whisper. " It's… It's finally over."

Although he hated seeing the boy like this, he still came close to smiling. Apparently Naruto had finally managed to gain at least some peace of mind.

Not quite comfortable with what he was doing, Sasuke wrapped a pair of arms around the blonde, first hesitantly, then – as the other leaned closer instead of pulling away – tightened the embrace. He tensed up just a little when Naruto clung to him as well, not used to such innocent and harmless affection, but soon relaxed, allowing the boy to draw comfort from him.

This… had been a long day for both of them. They needed this.

It must've taken more than an hour before most of the storm had settled, and Naruto was at least relatively calm against him.

After several moments there was a whisper he barely heard. " Sorry…"

Choosing to ignore the word, as well as all his cursed pride, he nuzzled his head against the blonde's, gaining a tiny bit of pleasure from how the other shivered when getting tickled by his hair. " Are you feeling any better now, dobe?"

There was something that sounded distinctly like a chuckle to him. " Bastard."

" Hn."

After some more moments they parted and he pushed himself up, surprised by how stiff his legs were. " I'm… gonna get you some water, okay? I'll be back in a second."

Apparently Naruto wasn't going to let him run off quite that easily. For just as he was about to go he felt a pair of lips slam against his. At first his eyes widened uncharacteristically, until he found himself responding.

Once the kiss ended he glanced at the boy with an arched eyebrow. " What was that for?"

The blonde merely shrugged, already grinning just a little bit.

He remained there for a couple of seconds – as though about to say something but not quite able to – until his feet agreed to work and he started to walk away. His hand let go of Naruto's he didn't know taking.

It took his all not to shake his head as he went.

He was really losing his touch. He was surprised it didn't feel as bad as he'd expected.

-

There were few times in Naruto's life when he'd felt something extremely bad and dark approaching. That slowly darkening evening was one of them.

He, however, disregarded it as a trick of his imagination. Sleep claimed him before he could fight himself to think otherwise.

* * *

That day – once coming back to the mansion from the ultra scan with Yamato, and having caught the very first glimpse of her baby – Ino decided that it was finally time to do something that should've been dealt with a long time ago.

Once again, it wasn't a difficult task to find Kabuto. The boy, who was currently sitting in a library, gave her an inquisitive look and put down his book. " Ino?" He then frowned. " What's going on?"

" You know what, Kabuto?" Her voice was hoarse and hollow, exhausted. This had been going on for far too long – one of them had to draw the line. " You cheating on me, and forcing me to work for Orochimaru, bringing me into all that crap… I'm letting go of it." It didn't surprise her that she said those words; what did, however, baffle her was that she meant them, from the bottom of her heart.

Her father had always told her that forgiveness was important, that grudges could turn one's heart into a stone. She didn't have any trouble whatsoever believing him, not with how much haze there'd been in her head lately.

Something that looked quite a bit like hope could be seen in the boy's eyes. " So… you're taking me back?"

She growled faintly. " Kabuto, _no_. I forgive you, but I don't want you in my life ever again." She brushed her scarcely traceable bump. " Or in my son's life."

He blinked somewhat blankly. " What now?"

" Go", she stated simply – no longer angry, only extremely tired. " Go, and start a nice life somewhere far away from here, and Orochimaru. Do what's best for you and let go. Because this is over."  
For a moment the boy seemed ready to fight, just like he usually did. But in the end his shoulders slumped as though a huge weight had been placed on them. His mouth opened, but instead of speaking he turned around and started to walk away. Just before the boy was out of earshot, he spoke once more without looking at her. " One more thing." There was a small pause. " That mission of yours during which Sai died… The package you were supposed to retrieve was a book from… What was that guy's stage name again? Ero-Sennin, or something like that. Gatô stole it from Orochimaru when one of his bodyguards was murdered. Orochimaru wanted that book back, whatever the cost."

Ino felt very cold, and her throat tightened significantly. " What… are you saying?"

" Ino, Sai died because of a book." Kabuto started to walk off once more. " Tells you something about the world we live in, no?"

She grit teeth while her eyes narrowed and balled her trembling fists. " Go to hell, Kabuto", she snarled.

It wasn't until the boy was already gone did facts start to sink in.

So, Sai…

She brought a hand to her lips, an inch from throwing up. She'd never trembled that badly in her entire life, not even after Sai's death.

He'd died… because of a book. Because of that mission. Because of her stupid mistake.

She'd had him killed… because of a stupid book. Because she'd valued one thing above all others, and only Orochimaru had been able to give it to her.

" Ino?" Looking up slowly, she met Shikamaru's worry-marred face. " Hey, what's…?" His eyes then fell downwards and widened, telling her everything necessary. " Oh shit…"

She looked down as well. There, on her pants, an even darker circle was forming against black fabric. It took her a moment to understand properly.

_Blood…_

She was pretty sure her heart stopped for several moments, and she emitted a choked gasp.

_No… No, no, NO!_

Shikamaru spoke something while walking closer and placing a hand to her shoulder – she could tell, because she _felt_ his voice in the air – but she heard none of it, wouldn't look at him. All that fit into her consciousness was the constantly growing stain of blood.

Tears gathered in her eyes while she slumped down and brought both of her hands protectively to her abdomen, casting her gaze towards the roof.

She… She'd already lost Sai. If she'd lose his child as well…

It was almost amusing how little power her scream carried, considering how much rage, terror and helplessness it bottled up.

* * *

It took Neji longer than he'd expected to find Gaara. At first – when visiting the orphanage as 'a family friend' – he found out that the redhead had been kicked out to the streets some days ago because of violent and… improper behavior. Mostly because of shock it took him a while to figure out that there was one place where Gaara had mentioned going whenever he needed comfort.

A tiny park a bus ride away from Konoha.

After gaining a permission to leave from Kakashi with stunning ease and making the journey that'd felt endless, he found himself stood by the gates of the said park. And there Gaara was, stood before a tiny pond and seeming so lost that it made his chest hurt.

He'd never seen the redhead's eyes fill with such an amount of emotions they did when the boy saw him. " Neji? How…?" The boy trailed off, most likely because of the look upon his face.

His eyes were somewhat hard when he entered the park, walking close to the other. " Four months ago you told me you loved me." He looked straight into Gaara's eyes, forcing the boy into maintaining eye contact. " Did you ever really stop?"

The boy shuddered, eyes yet again changing, and very obviously only his stern gaze kept the other from running away. " Why are you so fervent in wanting to know?" There was no denial, only unimaginable fear.

His heart made an odd movement, as though broken pieces had started to mend together. He had his answer. " Gaara… Hiashi told me everything." He met the other's eyes, and felt like smiling at everything he managed to find. " So you can quit the crap."

Gaara swallowed thickly, visibly trying to gather scattered pieces of thoughts. " I'm… sorry."

He shook his head, then – doing what he'd missed for a long time – took the two steps separating them, and laced his fingers amongst the redhead's with such affection that there was no question about his soundless message. After staring at him with what looked like utter shock for several moments Gaara gave his hand a tender squeeze. He wondered if the boy was aware of the tiny trace of a smile that played on the redhead's lips.

All that crap, all the pain and suffering… It was finally over.

Working completely against his nature, he leaned his forehead against the other's. " Let's go home, okay?"

Gaara never got the chance to respond, because just then a voice he definitely wouldn't have wanted to hear came. " I should've known having you kicked out of that dump wouldn't be enough." Zaku's eyes had never been as venomous before. (Or maybe, Neji mused, they had been all along but he'd failed to see it.)

Gaara emitted a low growl, taking a stand before him. " _Leave_. Now."

Without anything further and Neji being able to do nothing to stop it, the two boys started exchanging kicks and punches. He took a hissing breath and balled his own fists. " Stop it!" The two didn't obey, probably didn't even hear. " Stop this stupidity right now!"

At that moment he made the biggest mistake of his entire life. He took some steps forth, practically placing himself between the two fighters. Only a second or so later a hellish hit met his face, sending him reeling backwards. There was a snapping sound.

It took him some seconds to distinguish certain facts, although they were rather simple.

The park had been built on a small, rather rocky cliff. From the very beginning a wooden fence had circled it to keep children from falling. And the snap he'd just heard hadn't been from a tree branch.

With a feeling of incredulity flowing through him he met Gaara's eyes, saw the redhead's lips open for a soundless scream. And then the ground disappeared from underneath his feet.

He fell for what felt like forever until finally smashing into darkness.

* * *

Itachi's eyes moved ever so slightly when he noticed Sasuke entering the kitchen that evening. His chest made a tiny twinge of hope when he spotted his brother approaching the refrigerator.

Obviously sensing his gaze, Sasuke cast a somewhat hard look towards him. " So I got hungry. Is that against the law?"

He couldn't restrain a smile. " No", he stated softly. " It's not." After taking a sip of tea, he dared to add. " I can already see he's doing good for you."

Sasuke looked away, and he was almost sure he saw the beginning of a blush. " Hn."

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak out a harsh, merciless burst of pain nestled into his skull. He winced involuntarily and brought a hand to his head, although it did nothing to help.

Sasuke gave him a somewhat worried look. " You okay?"

He forced panic into the back of his mind while nodding. " Yeah." Noticing with alarm how world spun in his eyes, he got up very slowly and started to struggle his way out of the room. " I'll… be back in a while."

He had absolutely no idea of how he managed to make his way into a bathroom, but eventually he found himself slumped to a floor, throwing up absolutely everything there was in his stomach and more. With each and every heave his headache intensified, and in the end some tears of pain trickled onto his cheeks.

This was too much, way too much. He… He wouldn't be able to take this much longer.

As though through some thick hue he heard how someone appeared to the room's doorway. By the time he lifted his gaze his eyes were so bleary that he saw three Kakashis instead of one. The gray haired frowned. " Itachi? What…?" The man's lips kept moving, but he could hear another word, couldn't even think properly.

At first the headache simply exploded to such extend he couldn't bear it, numbing his mind from absolutely everything else. Then thick, cold darkness fell on him. He had a falling sensation, and another blast of pain came when his head hit something hard.

The world slipped away from him.

-

A second before he heard shouts, Sasuke's eyes widened and he emitted a tiny gasp, feeling unbearably cold. He was moving before he could process the motions. When he reached the bathroom, he hoped dearly he'd stayed where he was.

At first all he could see was a somewhat panicked looking Yamato dialing numbers, and Kakashi kneeling nearby the tiny room's doorway. Then, his eyes landed on Itachi, and a choked sound broke its way through his throat.

Gosh, there was so much blood… And Itachi, he was so pale, lifeless…

He felt a hand on his shoulder – who's, he didn't know or care. " Sasuke, you shouldn't…"

He brushed the hold off roughly, taking a sharp step forth. It was only once in his life he'd felt such panic before. " What's going on?" he demanded, sounding like a five-year-old. His heart hammered so that he feared it'd fail him. " What… What the hell is happening?!"

Kakashi, apparently, didn't hear him. All the man's focus was on Itachi. He could barely hear the muttered words. " Come on, 'Tachi… Breathe for me, please… Just breathe… Open your eyes…"

After that all sounds disappeared from his ears, and time seemed to move in an unnaturally fast pace. All of a sudden Kakashi was performing CPR, then medics appeared out of nowhere, starting to work furiously on Itachi. More blood appeared, and he started to hold back his breath to keep himself from screaming.

Then, with such a blast that he shuddered, normality resumed. What felt like dozens of voices filled his ears, nearly exploding them, and everyone seemed to be moving. " He's breathing", one of the medics announced.

It was then Kakashi finally noticed him standing there. The man's eyes were filled with sadness he didn't recall seeing in them before. " Sasuke…" The gray haired moved closer and started to reach out to grab his shoulder.

He swatted the man's hand away far more roughly than he'd first intended. " Don't", he all but wheezed through gritted teeth, sounding and feeling like there'd been no air whatsoever left in his lungs. His eyes strayed to Itachi's painfully still, bloodied form, then moved to his brother's blood on Kakashi's clothes. He shook his head while taking a couple of steps back, the sensation of suffocating growing so strong that he started to feel dizzy. " Just… Don't."

The exact same moment the medics lifted the stretcher carrying Itachi he whirled around and started to rush away as fast as he possibly could.

It was a miracle, really, that he managed to walk, because his mind went blank the second he turned away from his brother.

* * *

TBC, no?

* * *

A/N: Poor Itachi-kun – and EVERYONE! What'll happen to Neji? Will Itachi be okay? And where the heck did that teme go? What about Ino's baby?

(Damnit, I did it AGAIN!) (swats forehead with a hand)

(sweatdrops) O… kay… I can see all those weapons you're trying to hide, so I'll get going – FAST. (starts to dash towards cover)

PLEASE, leave a comment before you'll start to chase me – I KNOW you want to, especially after I left things like that…! (bats eyelashes irresistibly)

'Til next time, guys – 'hope you'll all join the ride then!

Be good!

* * *

**CHAPTER COUNTDOWN:**

Only four to go, counting in the epilogue! (gasps with shock)

* * *

**Rachael**: Welcome aboard for the second time! (grins)

Gosh, I really hope this won't end badly, too! It'd be just too heartbreaking if these poor people wouldn't turn out to be happy after all they've been through. (sniffs)

Holy damn, colossal thank yous for the absolutely baffling review – I'm happy beyond any words to hear you've enjoyed the story so far, and to think that much…! I REALLY hope you'll like the rest as well.


	10. Where You Gonna Go?

A/N: Phew! Once again – and especially after how the last chapter ended – I'm terribly sorry it's take me this long to update! BUT at least the new chapter is FINALLY here! (cheers loudly and claps hands together with excitement9

Awkay, as much as you'd all probably like to get going, first things always first. Awww – thank you so much for those unbelievable reviews! (GLOMPS, and gives all kinds of treats from cookies to chocolate muffins) You guys can't even imagine how dear those comments are to me. MERCI BEACOUP! (Btw, I TRULY hope I ended up commenting all your reviews, because I was in a HUGE hurry while writing the responses! If you've reviewed and haven't received anything in return, do let me know so I can scrabble together a response and crawl under my desk in shame, yeah?) And yes, SUPER thank yous to** Serenityofthematrix** for the incredible, untiring work of proofreading!

Oookay, before any weapons start flying… Ladies and gentlemen, chapter ten! I really hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

Kakashi was having the headache of a millennium while he stood by a bathroom door in the mansion, furiously trying to find out what would be the proper next move.

" Kakashi." Yamato's voice barely reached him. Glancing to the side, he found the man looking at him with worry unlike anything he'd ever seen before. " The medics are leaving, and it seems there's something wrong with Ino and the baby as well. I'm going to the hospital with her and Itachi."

He nodded, extremely pleased that at least the brunette was somewhat functional, then let out a long, heavy sigh. " I'll go look for Sasuke with Sakura, and apparently Haku's missing as well. Call me as soon they know something, will you?"

" Of course." They exchanged a tiny kiss, as though to ensure each other that this wasn't some twisted nightmare. Yamato's face seemed unnaturally tense. " You also call me if anything happens, okay?"

He nodded, then followed the spur of the moment and brushed the brunette's hand. " Everything's going to work out", he all but whispered, hoping from the bottom of his heart that he could believe in those words.

As though reading his mind the man gave him a somewhat feeble look, then turned around and started to sprint off. After some moments sounds of distancing sirens could be heard.

He leaned his full weight against a wall, hoping that time would've stopped for a while to give him a chance to breathe.

Unfortunately he didn't get anything of the sort, for his cell phone decided to start ringing just then. He barely managed to will his muscles into moving enough to respond. " Hatake."

" _Kakashi, it's Tsunade._" The woman's voice immediately warned him that something wasn't right. " _I thought I should call you... Neji was just brought in. He seemed to be in a pretty bad shape._"

All breath left him for what felt like hours although it couldn't be more than seconds. His head spun when he finally spoke. " Yamato's just getting there. I'll tell him to look for you."

If Tsunade said something, it didn't register to him. As soon as he'd put his phone away he rubbed his face with one hand, wanting to scream out cusses.

Why did all disasters have to appear at one go?

* * *

CHAPTER 10: Where You Gonna Go?

* * *

When Naruto first woke up, having fallen asleep in the mansion's library, he knew immediately that something was horribly wrong. Those panicked thoughts only became confirmed when he heard the distant sounds of disappearing sirens, which sounded like screams to his sleep clouded mind.

After a couple of moments his eyes widened, and he realized that he _knew_. " Sasuke…"

He was up much faster than his head would've approved, dashing away as though there'd been a fire on his tails.

How he knew where to go he didn't have a clue, and he didn't even care. But he did know for sure that he had to hurry.

* * *

Up until that day, Gaara had thought that he'd felt all horror and rage that was possible for a human being to experience. While yearning for news of Neji in the hospital's stinking waiting room, however, he found that he'd been badly mistaken.

He threw away his about tenth mug of coffee that day once realizing that it'd gone cold long since, and buried his face into his hands.

Yes, it'd been Zaku's thrust – not his – that'd pushed Neji over the edge. But that thought didn't bring him any comfort, especially with the fact that he'd not only been unable to protect the one he loved, but also to keep Zaku from sneaking away. (He didn't know where the boy was at the moment, but he did know exactly what he would've done if he had.)

" You're a friend of Neji's, right?" Lifting his gaze with some startle, he met a woman who'd introduced herself as Tsunade, a doctor and Konoha's regular psychiatrist. Her expression chilled him. " According to what I found out, Neji will be kept unconscious until they know the severity of his head injury. There are also some broken bones, and his doctor is worried that there may be internal bleeding. But he's somewhat stable now. At the moment all we can do is wait."

Those words made him feel like he'd been smacked square across his face. He had to wait for several moments before he finally felt steady enough to speak. " Can… I see him?"

The woman nodded. " Sure. Usually that's not allowed, but I pulled a couple of strings."

Had he been able to, he would've smiled with gratitude. If it'd been up to the rest of the hospital's staff, he would've probably been given no information whatsoever. He'd never been good at trusting people, but he could tell Tsunade was well worthy of such.

The journey through ICU and towards the correct room seemed to take ages. That's why it was nearly amusing that he wanted to turn back as soon as he finally entered Neji's room.

To him, Neji had always been something close to invincible, a heavenly creature no harm of mankind could touch. That's why it shocked him beyond any belief to see the boy – the one he cared about above all else and reason – lay perfectly still and hooked on more tubes than he dared to count, covered by tons of bandages, face sickeningly pale. The Hyuuga seemed… lifeless, almost, and it terrified him more than he could've ever imagined possible.

It required all his courage, but eventually he managed to dare himself into approaching.

Heaven knows how much he detested showing any signs of weakness, but his hand nonetheless trembled while it took Neji's limp one slowly, hesitantly. His eyes locked to the Hyuuga's closed ones, soundlessly begging them to open, even if just a little.

It took minutes before his voice finally agreed to work, croaky and weak. " You better wake up soon, do you hear me?" If he'd been able to see his own eyes just then, he would've been amused by the look in them. " Because… I'm not going anywhere before you do. I'm not leaving you again."

It was tragic, really, that his words fell on deaf ears.

Silence had never felt as smothering as it did then, with him being able to do nothing but sit and wait for whatever fate had in store.

* * *

Naremi Kiamoto – mother of Hinata and Hanabi – hadn't even voiced the name Hyuuga since she'd divorced from Hiashi. Since she'd walked out of her ex-husband's house, apart from their still living daughter she'd resigned from everything else her old life had held – yearning for something better, her husband's shady 'coworkers', constant fear… It'd been one of the best days in her life.

That's why she was far from pleased when her doorbell rang late that evening, because even before opening she knew that it couldn't possibly mean anything good.

Her presumption was confirmed when she opened the door and met a badge. " Morino Ibiki, Konoha's police force." The huge, scar-faced man's expression was nothing short of stony. " I'd like to ask you some questions about your ex-husband."

-

When Hiashi approached his ex-wife's door about two hours later, he had a feeling that his welcome would be even frostier than usual. He wasn't proven wrong.

Naremi seemed just about ready to kill when meeting his face, and it took all his courage to speak out loud. " Something's happened", he announced in a remarkably hollow tone, worry for Hinata having wiped away all other emotions. " We need to talk."

" Yes. We do", Naremi confirmed, hissing like a snake. Her posture announced that she wouldn't let him into the house. " I just spent almost two hours talking to the police."

He swallowed thickly. So now they were involving even her in this… " I'm… sorry."

" Sorry?" The woman's voice slashed like a whip. She shivered, without a doubt under tremendous desire to attack him. " When I left you, I thought I'd gotten away from all that crap Gatô brought in – I thought I'd never have to answer to questions about your job again, that I could stop fearing! But now… Now…" She took several deep breaths, looking at him straight into eyes as though he'd been a monster of some sort. " That kid – Sai… You killed him."

He grit his teeth. " He was working for Orochimaru – he was about to rob that place."

" He didn't even have a weapon – I saw the security tapes! You… You butchered an innocent child!" she all but screamed, shivering even more violently. " You killed him because you didn't think! You… killed all those people!"

" Naremi!" He was surprised by how sharp his voice was. " Now's not the time, okay? Because…" He swallowed again, wondering how on earth he was going to be able to say this. " Hinata's missing. And I think she's in danger."

Right then, Naremi did what he suspected she'd been itching to do for years already. She lifted her hand and slapped him, so hard that he saw stars for a moment. Some tears of fury trickled onto her cheeks. " If… If anything happens to my daughter, I swear… I'll hunt you down and kill you. Do you understand? If those bastards hurt her…" The woman's voice faded away.

At that moment he did what he'd always done best. He turned around and walked away, hoping from the bottom of his heart that he'd be able to fix this mess.

* * *

Quite absently Sasuke knew that he was about to make a disastrous mistake while he forced Bucephalus through uneven landscape, desperate to get as far away from reality as possible.

* * *

/ _For two weeks after the death of his parents Sasuke didn't speak a single word. Or that's what he'd been told, because he couldn't remember a thing of that time. His first memory after that day was Itachi's visit._

_He wasn't sure if it was the look upon his brother's face – a storm of guilt, sadness and affection – or the familiar touch that did it, but when Itachi wrapped a pair of warm arms around him without saying a word, it took his all to not break down. He clung to his brother like he would to a lifeline, uncharacteristically casting aside all dignity._

_It took several minutes before he found his voice, or at least a trace of it. " Promise me…", he all but wheezed, his voice raw from lack of use. " … that you'll never leave me." It took all his strength and pride to keep tears away. " Please. Because if you leave, too, I …" The rest died down under a wave of embarrassment, despair and pain._

_Itachi's hold on him became far tighter, as though his brother had known already then. " I promise, Sasuke." It was nothing but a whisper, but to him it meant everything. " I promise that I'll never leave you all alone."_ /

* * *

He grit teeth, too numb to taste or feel blood when he bit his lip hard.

Why the hell weren't those pills working already? Had he taken too few?

Bucephalus gave him an odd look when he made a choked sound, but his unusually hard moves didn't give it a chance to stop. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, as well as his fists, even harder.

Had he been able to he would've screamed his heart out, but his mouth and throat weren't under his control anymore. A tiny mew, as though that of pain, erupted while yet another flash appeared.

* * *

/ _Sasuke's very earliest proper memory was from when he'd been taken to the stables for the first time in his life, when he was barely five._

_It was his pride that kept him from screaming when Itachi pushed himself onto a horse that looked like a giant to him, taking him along into heights. " 'Tachi!" he yelped, despising his tone._

" _Don't worry, Sasuke." His brother's tone was so calm that he actually dared to relax slightly. " This horse is the calmest one in the entire stable. We're safe." Seeing his skeptical expression, the older smiled a little. " Just hold on tight, and you won't fall."_ /

* * *

After that memory, a part of him realized that his vision was starting to fade, everything spun in such a way that he started to feel sick to his stomach. He blinked sluggishly, feeling impossibly tired.

A tiny breath of relief escaped him.

_Well finally…_

In his current state, he didn't manage to notice the approaching tree branch until it was much too late. All he sensed was a hellish hit until it felt like his brain had simply been shut down.

He never sensed the harsh fall he took, nor startled Bucephalus' hoof hitting him.

* * *

As soon as Itachi woke up – with a crushing headache still sitting firmly inside his head – he could tell that something wasn't right. " … 'suke?"

The sound of a chair being moved felt like someone had been plunging a knife through his brain. " Are you awake?" It took a while, but eventually he recognized the voice as Yamato's.

He frowned, not managing to open his eyes or talk.

What… had happened? Where…?

And then, he remembered the dream he'd just been having. He gasped ever so slightly, although the pain it brought was almost more than he could take. " Sas'ke…"

There was a silence – so thick and heavy that it made him even more terrified than he had been. Something warm wrapped around his hand, and it took him a while to understand that it was Yamato's hold. " Itachi, you just had a very bad episode. You're in a hospital – the doctors are trying to make you feel as comfortable as possible."

Intelligence had always been one of the features for which he was known. That's why – despite his current state – he realized that the man refused to tell him anything about his brother.

Where… Where was Sasuke?

A horrible thought washed over him and he swallowed thickly, nearly wincing at how much the simple gesture hurt.

He wanted to speak – to ask what had happened to Sasuke, what his brother had seen, how much damage had been done. But just then a wave of pain almost as strong as the one he'd felt in the mansion appeared, and all he could do was give a tiny groan.

Yamato seemed to sense his discomfort, because there was another sound of a chair, then rushing steps, and shouts he couldn't make out.

He gasped again and felt his body convulse ever so slightly when the pain rose to such magnitude that it felt like an endless tsunami washing over him, swept away all his reason.

The sounds people made when barging into the room felt like hits of bullets straight to his skull, and he used all his willpower to shove his thoughts elsewhere.

He'd never been afraid of dying. But at that moment…

He winced when a needle was pushed through his unnaturally tender skin, nearly wanted to cry out in agony.

He… He couldn't leave Sasuke, not without seeing his brother, not before explaining, not before telling he was sorry. It was too soon.

It was fortunate that he or any of the other people in the room didn't know about the single tear that rolled to his sickeningly pale cheek.

He needed just one more 'next time'.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke…_

After that solemn thought the medication took him under.

* * *

Ino had never considered herself a particularly maternal type. Heck, she was probably as far from a mother figure as one could be. But nonetheless she was terrified out of her mind while waiting for news of her still unborn child, to know if the last thing she had left of Sai was gone forever.

She jumped on her bed when the room's door opened and glanced towards the sound with hopeful eyes. Her stomach sunk just a little bit with disappointment when instead of her doctor – Kurenai Yuuhi – she found Shikamaru, whom she'd chased into a cafeteria about half an hour earlier.

" So…", the boy said while slumping into the chair he'd been occupying since she'd been taken into this room. It was obvious that he was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. " Are you still in pain?"

She shook her head, glancing towards her bump as though hoping to see a sign of some sort. " No", she murmured in a somewhat lost tone. " The cramps stopped a while back. I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing."

Shikamaru nodded and seemed to search for words, but in the end never had to come up with anything. Both their eyes nailed to Dr. Yuuhi when the woman entered.

" Well?" she demanded, voice more tense than ever in her life.

Indescribable relief flowed through her when the woman smiled faintly. " According to tests the baby seems to be doing fine." The doctor's expression then hardened. " You, on the other hand, need to let go of stress. It's obvious that you've been pushing yourself far too hard lately."

She barely paid any attention to those words at the moment. All that mattered to her was the baby. " When am I getting home?" she managed after a long silence.

Dr. Yuuhi made some notes. " I'm afraid I'll have to keep you in for observation overnight. But unless there's something unexpected you should be able to leave tomorrow." The woman then smiled again. " This must've been a long day for you, so I'm letting you rest." The doctor glanced towards Shikamaru. " Make sure she stays in bed."

The boy scoffed a bit, which made her grin. " Troublesome…"

As soon as the doctor was out of the room she buried her face into both hands and gave a huge sigh of relief. Her heart thumped with realization.

It was over. Everything… was going to work out eventually.

" You okay?"

After some moments she looked towards the boy. " Yeah", she breathed out. " I think I'll be."

It wasn't until then she realized just how close to each other they were – dangerously close. And it was bound to have consequences.

Very slowly, the moves cautious and uncertain, Shikamaru started to lean closer. So badly in a shock she was that she couldn't make a move to stop what was happening before the boy's lips already brushed against hers, testing the ground.

She didn't know if she ever responded to the kiss before her muscles finally moved, doing what she knew to be right. Giving a small gasp to regain some of the breath she'd lost she pushed the boy away, licking away his taste that still lingered on her lips. " Look… You've been amazing friend, and I appreciate it. But…" She lost all words, not having a clue of how to proceed.

Fortunately 'stupid' wasn't one of the things Shikamaru was. His eyes flashed with emotion and understanding. " Hn."

She fought to come up with something to say, but fortunately the decision was taken out of her hands. They both shuddered when the door opened once more, and she swallowed hard when seeing Yamato standing by the doorway. Something from annoyance to tremendous relief was apparent on the man's face. " Your doctor told me what's going on." Usually gentle eyes hardened. " Now, I think it's finally time to talk about the baby."

* * *

Sasuke's mind drifted to several places at once when he opened his eyes slowly, staring at the spinning sky above him. He frowned, not liking how his mind tried to cling to too many things. Bucephalus moved nervously beside him when his hand twitched weakly, but all his concentration was on the world inside his head.

At the moment he was incoherent enough to imagine feeling a touch on his skin. " _You've gotta stop running away from me_", a voice that couldn't possibly be real murmured huskily, sending small chill through him.

He closed his eyes, too tired to keep them open especially when pain washed through him like a tidal wave. A distant sound of something extremely sharp – tires screeching, he would've recognized in some other state – tore his ears and head.

" Sasuke!"

That voice…

His eyelids twitched, but didn't inch open.

It sounded so far off, so surreal… It must've been another trick of his imagination.

Feeling very cold and the pain he'd been feeling becoming something distant and hollow, he allowed his mind to drift into a gray hue.

He was feeling so tired. Why shouldn't he sleep?

-

What he didn't know, was that two of the voices he'd heard had been nothing even close to a trick of his mind.

Naruto had never run like he did just then, gasping for air his lungs were screaming after, and his breath already wheezing. His legs hurt like hell and begged for rest, but he didn't give himself the pleasure of complying.

How far had Sasuke gotten? He'd taken Bucephalus, so…

Suddenly all those thoughts were swept away when there was a shriek like sound of tires. Once turning his head he felt his eyes widen upon realizing that he'd ended up in the middle of a road – and there was a car speeding towards him.

_Oh… crap…!_

After less than a blink a harsh thrust hit him, sending him to the pavement. He felt an explosion of pain when he landed, but couldn't tell exactly where it came from.

The driver – a young woman with brown hair in her twenties – rushed over to him with wide, horrified eyes. " Oh gosh…!" she gasped, surveying him with her gaze. " Are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?"

He shook his head, barely even hearing her, because his mind picked up a sound that rose above all others.

A neigh, coming from somewhere so close that he could feel it.

The young woman helped him get up, and despite the disarray his mind was in he flashed a thin, wobbly smirk of reassurance her way. " I'm fine", he announced, pleased to discover that he could stand and move easily, without feeling any pain whatsoever.

Had he been in the correct state of mind he would've felt her worried eyes on him as he went.

His blue eyes flashed while a dark feeling balled up in the pit of his stomach. " Sasuke!"

Somehow he had a feeling that wasting even one second could turn out to be fatal.

* * *

Hinata's eyes flew open, and she drew in a huge gasp when all she met was an endless sea of darkness. Instantly flashes of Hanabi, all the blood and shards of broken glass appeared right before her eyes.

Suddenly, all horrifying thoughts were chased away when a gentle hand was laid to hers. " 'Nata?" Turning her gaze, she met Haku's very welcomed face instead of darkness, and found herself smiling just a little. " You were having a nightmare. Are you alright?"

She nodded, and surprised herself with actually meaning it. " Yeah, I am." Her voice was uncharacteristically firm, free of all doubt. She rubbed her face with one hand, not wanting to draw the other away from the boy. " I just had… some unpleasant memories."

The boy nodded, and waited for a moment for her to calm down before continuing. " About Hanabi?"

As a response she pushed herself into a sitting position and rested her head against his shoulder. It surprised her that hearing her sister's name didn't bother her, not when it was said by him.

She shouldn't have been stunned, really. Unlike most probably thought they'd known each other for quite a while. They'd met in an institution where they'd both spent far more months than they would've liked, and this was the third summer they spent together in Konoha. They knew more about each other than anyone else did, and shared a bond that'd been strong enough to last through even the darkest of phases. If Hinata had believed in such a thing, she would've thought it was destiny their paths crossed.

" I dreamt of Zabuza-sama, too", Haku confided, pulling her out of thoughts. The boy's voice was even softer than usually. He glanced towards her. " I'm sure he would've liked you, although he would've never admitted it."  
She gave his hand a squeeze. With how strained her terms with her father were, it was hard for her to imagine how much losing Zabuza must've hurt Haku. " That's good to hear", she murmured, playing with his fingers in what she hoped to be a comforting manner. " I think I would've liked him, too."

It was around then she started to realize that something was changing – in the atmosphere, in the shadows circling them, between them, inside them. Something that'd laid in wait for a long time was crawling towards the light.

She felt Haku shiver when she wrapped her arms around him like never before, and placed a tender kiss nearby his neck. " Are… you sure?" he inquired after a moment in a voice that also shuddered – with a startling realization and want, no doubt.

She nodded, still just as sure as she'd been before, and looked into his eyes with so little fear that it baffled her. " I'm ready", she announced in a voice that no longer belonged to the little girl she'd been before all this had started.

Haku seemed to see the change as well, and therefore he didn't hesitate to accept her invitation. Their moves were awkward and much too careful at first – with both of them having been shattered and trying their hardest to not break the other even further – but quite soon they picked each other's pace. Passion neither of them had ever felt before swept through, wiping them into a completely different kind of world.

They were both sick of wandering in the darkness. It was high time they helped each other pick all the scattered pieces.

Had they listened at all, they would've heard the sounds of approaching thunder rumbling in distance…

* * *

In the meantime Naruto kept running, desperation and utter horror chasing him forth. With each and every step the nagging sensation of dread building up underneath his ribcage grew stronger, until it became so great he feared he'd go out of his mind.

" Sasuke!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, not caring if all the tears he was nearly shedding could be heard. " Sasuke, where the hell are you?"

' _Geez, kit… This is pathetic!_' The voice was filled with so much amusement that he felt like roaring. ' _You're making a fool of yourself because of some guy. Just forget about that loser already._'

He brought his hands to his ears while halting sharply. And then, he did something he would've never expected. " I love him, damnit!" he screamed out, howling like a wounded beast. " I fucking love him, so shut the hell up and leave me alone!"

It was like those words had been some sort of a magical sign to the universe. Because that exact moment, although his hands were still covering his ears, he heard a neigh – so loud that it could've easily challenged thunder itself.

He gasped, recognizing with chilling certainty. " Bucephalus…!"

He didn't bother to think anymore. Instead he ran, faster than he'd ever moved in his entire life. What he found when reaching a nearby hill went beyond every single nightmare he'd ever had, and only utter shock kept him from giving a scream.

There, on a stony ground, lay Sasuke, so unmoving that it sent electric chills down his spine. Bucephalus was stood nearby, seeming to be fighting with itself to not run away.

His heart squeezed into a tiny, extremely painful ball while he scrambled his way down the hill, falling down at least five times on his way and getting painful bruises. " S – Sasuke?" There was no reaction, and his throat became so tight that he could barely breathe while he froze five steps away from the raven. " Sasuke, you… you better…"

Finally managing to regain some composure he all but sprinted the distance separating them, ignoring the looks startled Bucephalus gave him. All strength leaving his muscles he fell to the boy's side, one of his hands landing to rest on a terrifyingly cold cheek. " Hey… Can… can you hear me?" Giving a choked sob, he made caressing motions on the other's skin. " It took a while, but… I'm… I'm here now, okay? Please, wake up."

As though having heard him the Uchiha actually obeyed, inching onyx eyes open like it'd been the hardest task in the entire world. He was startled when spotting some unshed tears in them. " Hurts…"

He swallowed thickly, feeling horrified beyond all reason. Only common sense kept him from scooping the clearly agitated teen into his arms. He didn't want to break the Uchiha even further. " Where?" he breathed out, continuing his caressing motions as though hoping that the simple gesture was enough to chase away all the other boy's agony. " Where does it hurt?" He wanted to fix this, desperately, but he didn't have the slightest clue of where to start.

Sasuke opened his mouth, but instead of words a wrenching groan of agony he could barely take crawled out, intensifying as the Uchiha's back arched with pain. " Damnit…"

It was then Naruto made some very unnerving discoveries, and cussed under his breath. Despite darkness, he could see even darker stains of blood on the ground before him. And Sasuke's back… Was there something wrong with it?

He tried to smile, although it was the hardest thing he'd ever done and came out bleakly. " It's… It's gonna be okay. Just stay awake. Stay with me."

Sasuke made a choked sound while black eyes locked to his, visibly desperate to maintain the contact. " Dobe…" Speaking seemed to take a lot of effort. The Uchiha's hand squirmed in his. " I…"

" Thank gosh, you found him!" Looking to side with surprise, he found Sakura dashing towards them, green eyes flashing with emotion. Soon enough the pinkette was also kneeling beside Sasuke, gaze filling with dread. " What's going on?"

He blinked, feeling so much at one go that it made him unable to respond. " I… I don't know." He then glanced towards the raven once more – right on time to see a pair of eyes closing. A stab of unimaginable panic went right through his heart. " SASUKE!"

What happened during the next endless minutes went completely beyond him. He was fairly sure he was screaming, still clutching Sasuke's hand desperately, until the boy's eyes fluttered open all of a sudden, filled with haze and pain.

Such relief flooded over him that he just had to smile a bit through blur that's appeared to his eyes. " Hey", he whispered huskily. " Welcome back."

Sasuke's hand tightened around his as a response.

There was what felt like a thunder of things he would've wanted to say right then, but he never got the chance to. Just then sounds of sirens appeared, and before he could do more than open his mouth medics were already buzzing around Sasuke.

He'd never seen anyone as scared as Sasuke was then. Even stood on the brink of unconsciousness the boy fought the medics with such fire he'd never seen before, as though the Uchiha's very life had depended on it.

One of the medics swore when Sasuke's fist met his cheek. " Shit! This kid isn't going to make this easy."

He growled a bit, not liking the situation. " Don't you think you're pushing him too hard?" He didn't want to see Sasuke like that. These people were crossing a line.

Another medic managed to check out the raven's vitals with a huge struggle and frowned. " We better get into a hospital, fast. I think he's going into shock."

The fight continued, and altogether three paramedics had to use all their skills to get Sasuke into the ambulance. The boy didn't stop struggling and muttering weak objections for even a second, no matter how weak he was getting. At one point Naruto was almost sure he heard the weakest of calls. " … 'Uto."

Eventually Sakura let out a snarl that startled even him, stepping forth. " Can't you idiots see that he's terrified?!" she all but shrieked, green eyes flaming with something he didn't recognize. " You'll get him killed if you force him into this! Let Naruto in – he's the only one who can calm Sasuke down right now!"

One of the medics seemed ready to start out a fight until another stepped in. " The girl's right." Sharp eyes locked with his. " Hop in, will you? We've already wasted too much time."

Sakura gave him a nod of reassurance. " Go. I'll find Kakashi and tell him what's happened."

He needed no further confirmation. He all but jumped into the ambulance, never even noticing how it started to speed off because all his focus was on Sasuke again. His chest kept making unnatural movements, and his head felt so woozy that he was almost sure he'd collapse right there and then.

_Please_, he pleaded with every last bit of his soul, feeling a burning sensation in his eyes. _I'll do anything, just please… Please…_

The rest of the world disappeared from his mind when Sasuke's eyes opened – slightly, but nonetheless. It took all his self control to not cry while he squeezed his hand as tightly around the other's as he could without bringing pain. " See, I'm right here, okay? So stop that worrying." He rubbed the back of the Uchiha's hand gently, affectionately, with his thumb, hoping from the bottom of his heart that the boy understood and took in his comfort despite all. " Everything's gonna work out, so calm down and let these people help you." His hold tightened still. " I swear I'm not going anywhere."

Sasuke looked at him with eyes that revealed a breathtaking amount of emotions that weren't in the boy's control, all the way from mistrust and terror to desperate hope. Then, ever so slowly, the eyes fell closed to him.

His blue orbs flew wide and his heartbeat spun out of control. " Sasuke!"

A medic's huge hand was placed to his shoulder. " Relax, kid. We had to give him some medication to calm him down – it just kicked in. He'll be sleeping until we get him examined properly."

He wasn't sure if he disappointed or ridiculously relieved.

At that moment he didn't give a damn about who was there to see what he was doing, paid no attention to possible weird looks and whispers.

Feeling like there'd been a ton of weight on his shoulders he leaned over the Uchiha, almost like shielding the boy, and buried his face into the other's barely moving chest. It was then he finally dared to break down completely.

* * *

TBC, or…? (Nah, just kidding.)

* * *

A/N: Oh… crap… (gawks with wide eyes as weapons are prepared)

I REALLY (and honestly, actually) have to get going now. So, without further… PLEASE, do review, although it's to scold how I seem to leave you hanging these days!

Until the next update, folks – I truly hope I'll see all of you then!

Be good!


	11. Welcome To The Fallout

A/N: Gosh – I could've never imagined this chapter would be able to see daylight this fast! (Heh, after the last cliffy that probably sounds like a bad joke to you guys, but I've seriously had my fingers burning lately. And here the chapter is, all done! Cha!)

I can just feel how hard you're gritting teeth for me making you wait for this long, BUT firstly… Goodness – thank you so much for all those wonderful reviews (the last chapter inspired more of those than almost any chappy before, hooray)! I sky-high with joy to think there are so many of you who want this lil' tale to meet 'owari'. (HUUUUGS, and hands over some chocolate cookies this time) **Anonymous reviewers**, take a peak at your responses from below the chappy, yeah? (I REALLY hope I responded to you all. My computer seems to be going spastic.) (winces) (Let me know if you didn't get a response, okay?)

And, of course, once more extra large thank yous to my amazing proofreader, **Serenityofthematrix**!

Awkay, before you'll seriously attack me… Let's go! I truly hope you'll all have a great ride with chapter eleven.

WARNING: This chapter includes one… well, a bit gore scene I'd like to warn you about. And this also turned out somewhat sad, so… (sniffs)

* * *

Ah, and yes… For some mood setting…

/ _**I can't go on  
And let you lose it all  
It's more than I can take  
Who'll ease your pain?  
Ease your pain**_

_**  
Who is gonna save you when I'm gone?  
And I'll watch over you.  
Who will give you strength when you're not strong.  
Who'll watch over you when I've gone away?**_ /

(Alter Bridge: " Watch over you)

* * *

Over the years he'd spent with particularly challenging teenagers, Kakashi had learned that if caffeine didn't help with erasing a headache, things were very badly wrong. He wasn't all that surprised to discover that even his fifth mug of sickeningly strong coffee in six hours didn't do a thing to make him feel better that night.

He took a glance towards the clock and felt an urge to groan. It'd crawled forward only ten lousy minutes.

How long were those people going to keep them in the dark?

" Hey." Acting completely against his nature he all but jumped when hearing Iruka's soft, tired voice. Turning around unhurriedly, he found the brunette stood a respectful distance away. " 'Figured I'd find you where the coffee is."

" Hmm", he commented while taking a sip of his drink. After wincing at the tart taste filling his mouth he looked towards the brunette again. " How's Naruto?" According to what he knew the teen's physical health was pretty much okay, although the doctors wanted to run some more tests because of the boy's collision with a car. Mentally, on the other hand…

Iruka's expression said it all. " Just as good as expected. I had to let him go to the waiting room before he would've ripped his room apart." The man's face grew even more solemn. " Any news on Sasuke?"

He shook his head, bravely taking down the rest of the coffee that tasted like poison. " Apparently they've decided that it's not important to us to know a thing." He massaged his throbbing temple with two fingers. " Yamato's with Itachi. We don't dare to even guess what'll happen when he finds out about his brother." Then, to switch topic before he'd lose the last of his sanity, he frowned upon noticing something. " Where's Shizune?"

A small, nearly sheepish smile appeared to Iruka's face. " Nighttime morning sickness."

He blinked twice, failing gloriously to hide his surprise. Despite the situation he almost managed to smile when seeing just how happy his former best friend was. " I suppose congratulations are in order."

Iruka flashed a grin towards him. Silence lingered for a while before the man spoke. " Kakashi… Everything's going to work out, you know?" Brown eyes were soft and sincere while looking into his. " I know it's hard to believe, but I'm sure it'll be okay."

For some reason he found himself believing, or at least wanting to do so.

Comfortable silence lingered while they stood there deep in thought, listening with half an ear how thunder raged outside.

Had they been in a different state of mind, they would've felt how tiny flames of a once strong friendship were rekindled.

* * *

CHAPTER 11: Welcome To The Fallout

* * *

Sasuke's mind drifted once more, visited memories he would've rather forgotten. He felt unbearably cold, but it didn't really manage to bother him.

" Hey, kid, can you hear me? Open your eyes."

* * *

/ _" Sasuke, do you hear me?" His father's voice was even harsher than usual._

_He swallowed down a sigh, and put away the school book he'd been trying to read. " Yes, father. I hear you." He frowned a bit when looking at the man who seemed deeply nervous. " What's wrong?"_

_The man's eyes hardened while looking through the living room's window. " Sasuke, I have an important… business meeting tonight. I want you to go to your room until it's over." His father looked at him, eyes so hard it chilled him. " Do not come down, do you understand?"_

_He nodded, not knowing what else to do. " Alright." While leaving the room he opened his mouth – to say what, he'd never know – but in the end changed his mind._

_Later on, he wondered if he would've said whatever there was on his tongue if he'd known that that was the last time he would talk to his father._ /

* * *

" He's all zoned out. And he's becoming unresponsive, fast."

" Kid!" That voice… Why did it have to be so loud? " Let's make a deal, okay? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

* * *

/ _" I thought we had a deal!"_

_Yes, Sasuke had always been very good at following his father's orders – more out of fear than anything else, though. But that night, the noises coming from the living room became so loud that he couldn't contain his worry-marred curiosity._

_The voices grew even louder when he tiptoed down the stairs_

" _You've been an excellent business partner, Uchiha. But lately… You've become a unnecessary burden."_

_Making it to the living room's door, he found his father – who had his back to him and fists tightly balled – along with two men; a short, rather fat man with glasses, and a man with long, brown hair and eyes that were hidden by black glasses. He felt chills the instant he saw those strangers._

_The small man got up from an armchair, walking so close to his father that it made even him feel uncomfortable. " Uchiha, do you really think you're in any position to make demands?"_

_He trembled when a hand was laid to his shoulder, and looked up to meet his mother. Another set of shivers came when he realized that the woman had never looked that scared before. " Sasuke, you shouldn't be here."_

_He knew it, but nonetheless didn't move. And so they watched how the display progressed inevitably towards the horrendous ending neither of them knew yet._ /

* * *

He felt like he'd been drifting away, but even that didn't manage to alarm him.

Was that… a touch he felt? " Hey, what are you doing? Don't fall asleep on us."

* * *

/ _" What the hell do you think you're doing?" his father snarled when the small sized man turned around, as though about to leave._

" _I'm closing a unprofitable deal", the man announced like it'd been the simplest thing in the entire world. Then, as though an afterthought, there was an addition. " Hiashi, take care of them, will you? His wife and younger son should also be home. I don't want any witnesses to remain."_

_His eyes widened with unimaginable horror when the brown haired man pulled out a long, slender sword. He was moving before he could even think properly. " Stay the fuck away from my father!" he all but bellowed._

_His mother's arms grabbed him firmly from behind, barely managing to restrain him the exact same second as Hiashi and his father's eyes turned towards him. " Sasuke, no!"_

_What happened next felt like watching a horror movie to him. The stranger lifted his sword, and slashed his father like the man had been nothing more than a piece of rotten meat. What looked like gallons of blood appeared while his father fell with a sickening thud, and he felt like vomiting (he wasn't sure if he even did). Then – with three determined, sharp steps that sounded unnaturally loud – the man walked up to them, stood behind his mother. " Trust me, this is nothing personal." After that he heard a tiny gasp, and something warm he recognized immediately stained the back of his shirt. There was another thud, soft and hollow, defeated._

_His eyes were so badly blurred by tears that he could barely see the small man as he reappeared with a sneer that made him feel even more nauseated than before. " Well hello there, young man", the man greeted. " Would you like to play a little game?"_

_Later he found out that neighbors had called the police when hearing his scream._ /

* * *

" Geez… Look at all these wounds!"

" We've gotta get him fixed up, fast. There's too much blood – he's already in a shock."

* * *

/ _Blood… There was so much of it, and his head could no longer make out to whom it belonged – he or his parents._

_It required all his remaining strength and hurt hell of a lot more than he'd expected, but he nonetheless managed to crawl his way to his parents. If the warmth on his cheeks was tears or blood, he didn't know._

_Gosh, it hurt so much, everywhere…_

" _Mom, father…" Was that really his voice? " P – please…"_

_But the two – who'd reduced to what wasn't much more than bloodied heaps after the strangers had finished up their handling – didn't react in any way whatsoever. Something that sounded like a cry of anguish ran through the room._

_From then on, he knew nothing at all._ /

* * *

He was almost glad when the stream of flashes finally stopped, and he fell into a hole of all consuming, icy darkness.

* * *

Itachi had no idea of how long he'd been sleeping when his eyes suddenly opened with surprising ease, and he blinked sluggishly for a moment to catch on.

That dream… It'd been so strange…

" Hey." Yamato's voice was soft, and he was pleased to discover that it didn't hurt his head. Turning his gaze with a lot of effort, he found the visibly exhausted man sitting in a chair beside his bed. " You slept for quite a while. I was starting to get worried."

He rubbed his face with one hand, trying to chase away to blur bothering his head. " I'm fine." Then, it all hit him so hard that he gasped out a lot of vital air, starting to feel cold. " Sasuke…" Just one look into the man's eyes revealed what he'd feared. " Something's happened."

Yamato hesitated for the longest time, obviously afraid of what bringing more strain on him would cause. Eventually came a voice he barely caught. " Itachi, there… There was an accident."

Never in his life had he felt as cold as he did just then. He brought a hand to his chest – as though to make sure his heart was still beating – and felt furious pounding. It required a huge gathering of courage before his voice worked. " Is… Is he going to be alright?" _Please, please, don't you dare…_

Yamato's expression became even more disheartening. He saw the man gulp. " We… don't know yet. But he was conscious for a while, and the doctors seem optimistic, so…" The brunette sighed heavily. " Itachi, I'm so sorry. This was the last news I would've wanted to tell you."

He didn't even hear, because his thoughts were spiraling elsewhere. He buried his face into both hands.

So, Sasuke… He was hurt. His little brother – whom he'd sworn to protect – had been injured, possibly beyond repair, only because…

At that moment, he did something he hadn't done in more years than he could remember.

He prayed from the depths of his soul that Sasuke would be alright, that he'd get to see his brother for just one last time.

There had to be one more next time left, right?

* * *

Helpless wasn't even close to describing how Naruto felt when sitting in the hospital's waiting room, face buried into his hands and shoulders quaking under long ago seized sobs. His fingers were crossed painfully tightly, but he wasn't coherent enough to make a plea of any sort.

It'd been so long already… He needed information, needed at least some damn reassurance. And gosh, he needed Sasuke, wanted to feel the boy's comforting warmth and hear those insults he hated.

Why wouldn't this sick nightmare end already?

He almost fell from his chair with startle when hearing steps, and his wide eyes flew to the other side of the room while his heart crawled into his throat. His spirits, however, sunk when instead of Kakashi (who'd sworn to tell him if there'd be any change) or a doctor he found Shikamaru and Ino. " Hi", the girl greeted, a somewhat sympathetic look upon her face. " Iruka hinted that we'd find you here."

He gave a silent ' Hn'. " I threw him out to find something to eat." He then looked at the two with some confusion. " But… What are you guys doing here?"

Shikamaru scratched his brown hair. " Meh, we happened to be in the neighborhood and heard that you're here, too. We figured we could kill some time with you while waiting for someone to take us out of this hellhole." The boy's unusually warm tone told everything necessary.

The corners of his lips twitched, and although a enormous ball didn't go anywhere from his chest it felt just a little bit easier to breathe. " Thanks."

Shikamaru shrugged. " No problem. I mean, we're one big crazy family, right? Helping you maintain your sanity is a part of my job description, although it's troublesome."

He couldn't keep himself from chuckling.

After a moment of peace Ino spoke, her face carrying apparent worry. " How's Sasuke-kun? Have they told you anything yet?"

He shook his head and hung it in defeat. " They're just as clueless as we are, I suppose."

He was mildly surprised when feeling someone ruffle his hair, and even more so once discovering that it was Shikamaru. " Chin up, blondie." The boy's voice was still so soft that it baffled him. " If anyone's gonna make it through being that banged up, it's that bonehead. So stop looking so worried – it doesn't suit you."

Had he had enough breath for such, he would've thanked the boy. He really hoped he could've believed the brunette's words.

After about thirty endless minutes they all stiffened when Kakashi entered the room, seeming just about ready to collapse out of exhaustion. " They're letting in visitors", the man announced before any of them could ask a thing. Uncharacteristically gentle eyes were darted towards him. " I think he'd like you to be the first one."

He needed no further encouragement. Deciding that instincts would lead him well enough he ran, not bothering to ask the number of Sasuke's room.

After a couple of minutes he indeed found himself from the doorway of Sasuke's room – and froze right there.

Sasuke, who was terrifyingly unmoving and looked like all color had been drained from his face, wasn't the room's only occupant. There was also a young, brown haired woman who looked a lot like a nursing student. The brunette was currently changing the bandages of particularly nasty looking, deep wounds on the Uchiha's back. He wasn't an expert, of course, but to him it looked like a dangerous amount of skin was missing.

Just then the young brunette seemed to sense his presence. She looked at him with a small smile. " Hi. You're his friend, right?"

He nodded absentmindedly, his gaze straying to the raven. He expected – hoped – the boy to flinch when the woman jarred a particularly deep wound, and felt his heart break a little when absolutely nothing happened. " Is… Is he okay?"

The woman measured him with her gaze for a while, until apparently deciding that she couldn't hide information from someone who looked as pathetic as he did then. " As you can see, he has some pretty bad wounds, and he lost a lot of blood. The doctors also still worried about his back, and he's got some broken bones as well as a badly twisted ankle. He may need surgery later. He also swallowed some pills, but we managed to take care of that." Seeing his look of horror she smiled again. " That means that he's far from full health, but he's stable, and he should be okay eventually."

He frowned. " Then…Why isn't he waking up?"

The woman bit her lip while finishing up dressing the wounds. " He banged his head pretty badly when falling, so that may be the cause, but in all honesty… No one's sure. He'll wake up when the times right." Taking off her protective glows and throwing them into a trash can she headed towards the door. " I'll let you spend some time alone with him. Who knows, maybe you're exactly what he needs."

He flashed a grateful look towards the nursing student. As soon as he could be sure that she had left he walked up to Sasuke with wobbling steps, slumped into the chair placed beside the raven's bed. " Hear that, teme?" he all but whispered in a somewhat choked tone. " You… You're going to be just fine. So…" Not knowing what else to do he took the boy's hand, starting to rub the back of it with his trembling thumb. " You've been sleeping for too long already, so wake up, please. Because… There's something important I need to tell you."

He'd never felt as discouraged as he did when silence was his only response.

Fortunately he didn't have to know about the two tears that rolled to his cheek.

* * *

Hiashi Hyuuga, who'd been driving around aimlessly all night in desperate hopes of catching a glimpse of his daughter, was fuming by the time the sun was already up and shining, almost blinding his narrowed eyes.

When the heck had things begin to go this badly wrong? What had he…?

He shook his head, focusing his exhausted mind on the road before him.

He needed to find Hinata before any of those bastards could – that was all that mattered at the moment. Further debate could wait until later.

He shuddered when his cell phone started to ring, and waited a breath before responding. " You better have good news."

" _I do, actually._" The male-voice was so cheery that it made his headache escalate. " _I'm nearby a Chinese restaurant. I just found a warehouse that seems to have someone living in it. It could be a beggar, but…_"

Not bothering to listen any longer he threw his phone away and pressed the gas pedal as hard as he possible could, eyes flashing.

He was only minutes away. Maybe he'd make it in time.

Little did he know that he was just making the biggest mistake of his entire life.

* * *

To Gaara, the already passed night had been endless. The doctors – having completed whatever tests they'd had in store – had decided that it was alright to reduce the medication and give Neji a chance to wake up. He'd waited since – hoped, prayed – but so far nothing had happened.

Too tired to be troubled by bright sunrays, he'd managed to fall into a fitful sleep when he suddenly sensed movement – feeble, barely traceable, but nonetheless. In seconds all traces of sleepiness flew away, and his hope filled eyes darted towards the Hyuuga.

At first he felt a heavy plunge of disappointment when seeing no change. Then his careful eyes detected something – a scarcely visible twitch of fingers. His heart started to race as though it'd been about to burst.

Just then Neji's doctor – a rather old man named Sarutobi – entered the room. His eyes had never held the look they did when meeting the man's. " I think he's waking up", he announced, his voice full of such anxiety that might've amused him in some other situation.

Dr. Sarutobi's eyes flashed with what he suspected to be hope. " He is?" The old man walked up to Neji, and he held his breath while the white haired made some examinations, taking so long that he feared he'd simply explode.

" Well?" he demanded in a snap as soon as the man was done.

Something in the doctor's expression made him feel chills. " Gaara… Could you please wait outside for a moment?" Seeing the look upon his face, the man's eyes softened. " Don't worry, I'll call you back as soon as I'm done."

Leaving was the last thing he wanted to do, especially with Neji just waking up. But he didn't want to get into any trouble, either.

His steps slow and heavy, he dragged himself out of the room and slumped into a chair right beside the door, once again waiting.

-

It took what felt like a decade to him before Dr. Sarutobi finally emerged, an unreadable expression upon his face.

He bounced up from his chair in a flash. " Well? Can I go in?"

The doctor's face seemed dark, which gave him chills. " Of course. But first, there's something you should know…"

-

He was glad no one was there to see how badly he shivered while preparing to open the familiar door about five minutes later. The doctor's words resounded in his ears.

/ _" Gaara, Neji's head injury… was worse than we feared."_ /

Sensing his presence when he entered, Neji turned his head towards him. Pale eyes were filled with something close to fear.

/ _" He's deaf. And… I'm afraid he'll never get his hearing back."_ /

For several still seconds they remained unmoving, as though not believing the other was really there, alive and at least somewhat well.

He'd feared he wouldn't know what to say and do. But at that moment, he realized that there was no doubt in his mind.

Steps firm and determined, he walked up to Neji and sat to the boy's bedside. The Hyuuga shivered a bit with surprise and pain when he wrapped a pair of arms rather tightly around the boy. But soon enough the other relaxed, seeking comfort from his hold and also holding on to him so tightly that he almost lost his breath.

Right then no words were needed to express what they both knew.

Yes, life… wouldn't be the same, and it wouldn't be easy to face what was waiting up ahead. But they had each other. Maybe that'd be enough to make the journey bearable.

* * *

Sasuke finally made it out of the darkness, and found himself drifting through different kinds of flashes this time.

* * *

/ _He, at the age of only seven, frowned with his arms folded while watching Itachi finishing packing up. " I still don't understand why you had to choose a school so far away from home", he commented. He knew he was being annoying, but couldn't help himself. " I'll barely see you anymore!"_

_Giving a small, sad smile he knew painfully well in some years, Itachi knelt down to his level and poked his forehead with two fingers. " Stop worrying, Sasuke. I'm not leaving for good – you'll see me every weekend and on holidays. Maybe mom will even be able to bring you over to see where I live sometimes."_

_His eyes lit up a bit at that, although the dark feeling sitting on his chest didn't disappear. " Really?"_

_Itachi smiled a bit more brightly, ruffling his hair. " Of course. I'm your big brother. How could I ever leave you?"_

" _Itachi." Their father's familiar, steely voice cut the moment. " It's time to go."_

_Not bothering to act big and tough, he gave his brother a bear hug. " I'll miss you", he murmured, carefully making sure only his brother heard._

" _I'll miss you too." With that Itachi started to take his leave. " I'll call you tonight and let you know how I'm doing, okay?"_

_He could only nod._

_He'd watched Itachi walk away for several times before. But that was the first time it hurt._ /

* * *

/ _About four months after Itachi had moved away because of studies, Sasuke winced involuntarily while letting his brother clean up a very nasty cut on his knee. " Brother, that hurts!"_

_Itachi cast an apologetic look towards him. " I'm sorry, Sasuke. But this won't take much longer. Just hang on for a little bit, okay?" And true enough, in less than two minutes the wound had been taken care of. " See? Good as new."_

_He found himself grinning a bit. " It doesn't even hurt anymore." He looked towards his brother, who was putting away the extra bandages. " No one treats wounds as well as you do. You're the only one who can make them better."_

_Itachi's chuckle sounded like it carried something dark to it. " Trust me, Sasuke, you'll find a lot of people who can take away the pain much better than I do." His brother's back was to him, so he couldn't see the older boy's expression. " Now wash your hands. It's almost dinnertime."_

_For some reason the first sentence caused a dark feeling into his stomach, but he paid no mind to it at the time. Some years later he wondered if he should've._ /

* * *

/ _Three days after the death of his parents, Sasuke's heavily drugged mind barely understood what was going on when he heard a familiar voice. " … this is the right thing? Because that boy… He isn't my brother."_

" _Sasuke… is in a very fragile state right now, Itachi." The doctor's voice sounded like a screech to him. " I know it's painful for you to see him like this, but you need to understand that we're doing this to protect him." There was a pause. " He tried to kill himself yesterday. This way, we'll make sure he won't be able to hurt himself again."_

_There was a lot of talking he couldn't make out – shouts, even – until the doctor's voice became coherent. " … leave now. You know Sasuke isn't well enough to accept visitors."_

_There was even more arguing that sounded jumbled to him, and he turned his gaze. Through a thick haze, he saw as though in slowed motion how his brother turned around with utter reluctance painfully close by, starting to walk away._

_He never knew about the tears that rolled to his cheeks._ /

* * *

Suddenly he heard a different voice, distinctly familiar and so comforting that he wanted to reach out to it. " Sasuke, can you hear me?" Gosh, all that despair… " If you can, please… Open your eyes for me, will you? Wake up."

It was as though a rope of restraint had been cut off. He took a deep breath, then winced, a surge of pain rushing through his being. " Damnit…"

" Sasuke?" The voice was much closer now. Pain subsided when something soft – a hand – caressed his fingers. " Hey, it's okay. You got a bit banged up, but… It'll be okay."

It took a lot more of him than he'd expected, but eventually he managed to struggle his impossibly heavy eyelids into opening. The coldness he'd been feeling flew away when he met a familiar pair of oddly moist blue eyes. " … uto…" It was nothing more than a wheeze, but he believed he'd been heard anyway.

His assumption was proven to be correct when the blonde grinned brightly, then wrapped a pair of arms around him so tightly that he growled quietly with pain. " Don't… Don't ever do that again." Was Naruto… crying? " Don't ever make me fear I've lost you again, teme."

He moved carefully, wincing from pain he hadn't expected, and with some struggle managed to wrap his arms around the blonde, although weakly. " Dobe…", he breathed out, feeling and sounding like he hadn't used his voice in ages.

They remained in each other's embrace for what must've been close to an hour, until Naruto suddenly moved. He glanced at the boy with some disappointment, feeling cold without the other's arms around him. " … what? …"

Naruto's eyes carried something he didn't recognize while the boy's mouth opened for a couple of times without a sound. In the end, the blonde apparently decided that actions spoke louder than words.

Despite the pain and confusion clouding his mind, he shuddered with pleasure when a pair of soft, warm lips found his, embracing with such affection that couldn't be misunderstood. He returned the gesture with all the intensity he could muster, feeling like he'd been drowning and had just been pulled out of the water.

In the end lack of oxygen forced them into pulling apart. Naruto's eyes were still worried when examining him. " Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head and let go of his pride to lean his head against the blonde's shoulder. Of course it hurt, but there was no need to upset the boy with that. He took Naruto's hand and squeezed the best he could. " I'm fine now", he whispered oddly softly. Although… It felt like he'd forgotten something important.

Naruto kissed his hair as response. " That's good." The boy hesitated for a while, as though nervous. " Look… There's something I need to tell you."

Timing, apparently, wasn't planning on acting for their best interest that day. For just then the room's door opened. They were both alarmed by the look upon Yamato's face, although some relief could be seen when the man spotted Sasuke conscious. " You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake", the brunette breathed out.

Naruto's hold on him became protective. " What's wrong?"

Yamato swallowed thickly, clearly not wanting to say whatever there was to come. The man met his eyes with surprising bravery. " Sasuke… It's Itachi. You should come before…" The rest faded out.

The coldness he'd felt before returned, exploding tenfold, and he found it almost impossible to breathe. He was glad Naruto's hand was there, because without being able to focus on it he would've definitely passed out.

Naruto's voice barely reached him. " Sasuke…?"

He stared intently at a stain on the floor, feeling almost repulsed enough to throw up. " I… I need to go there." His heart was racing with what he identified as terror.

If… If Itachi was really going to… If that was what those dreams had meant… He'd never forgive himself if…

Whereas Yamato frowned with worry, Naruto apparently knew that there was no arguing with him. There was a small, reassuring squeeze on his hand before the boy started to leave. " I'll… get you a wheelchair, okay?"

He couldn't react, barely even heard. All that fit into his head was a breathtaking sensation of falling.

He was beyond relieved he'd been struck mute, because otherwise he would've definitely started to scream, and he had a feeling he wouldn't have been able to stop.

* * *

Haku got one of the biggest surprises in his entire life when waking up that morning and feeling something warm pressed against him. Turning his head, he felt his eyes soften when finding Hinata still asleep, arms wrapped around him. Surprise, however, returned once more when he realized that both of them were stark naked underneath the shabby blanket they'd managed to find.

What… had they done the night before?

Before he could come to any sort of conclusion Hinata's eyelashes fluttered, and in a second she looked up at him with a small, sleepy smile. " 'ning."

He smiled a bit, and placed a tiny kiss to her forehead. " Morning." He waited for a while for her to fully wake up. " I think we should get going. We've been here…" Just then all words froze into his throat.

There were steps, heard downstairs in the abandoned warehouse in which they were hiding. And before either of them could do a thing a man they'd never seen before in a police uniform stood before them. " So here you are." The man's voice was harsh. " Do you have any idea how hard we've been looking for you, missy?"

Hinata's eyes widened. " P-please, don't…"

The man didn't seem to hear, instead pulled out a cell-phone and started to leave the room. " I'm calling your father right now. It's time to end this."

Once they were left alone, Haku glanced towards the girl with worried eyes. " What's wrong?"

Hinata swallowed thickly. " My father… used to work for the police. I should've known…" Her eyes then flashed with something he hadn't seen before, and she grabbed his hand. " Let's go, before my father gets here."

He didn't need to be told twice, although he had this nagging feeling of something bad approaching.

They got dressed much faster than either of them would've thought possible, and before the policeman ever made it to the room they were already running down the street, holding hands. They managed to run for about five minutes until Hinata tripped all of a sudden, falling down in the middle of a street. She gasped when her ankle twisted into an unnatural position, and they both knew immediately that she wouldn't be able to move.

He imagined things couldn't possibly get much worse. That was until they heard sounds of an approaching vehicle. He gasped faintly when looking up and finding a black car speeding towards them, so fast that it'd never be able to stop.

He moved far more rapidly than his thoughts worked. With a heavy thrust he pushed Hinata away from the road, causing her to stumble out of harm's way. That, however, didn't save him.

Unable to do anything else he turned his gaze to meet the driver, a man with long, dark brown hair and familiar pale eyes. Their eyes met – widened and filled with disbelief – and locked together. In an instant a memory hit Haku.

This wasn't the first time he met that man (Hiashi Hyuuga, he never learned to know).

* * *

/ _The day he saw Zabuza alive for the last time, he opened a door to find the very same man who was now driving towards him, along with two other men._

_His eyes turned hard and cold. " Are you Gatô's men?"_

_The arrival nodded, pale eyes harsh. " He wanted to send a message to you two."_

_From there, he couldn't remember much before waking up in a hospital._ /

* * *

The hit was harsh – a thousand times more violent than he'd expected – and he gasped when feeling and sensing bones getting fractured. Sickening cracking sounds could be heard when he hit the pavement hard. In a flash he knew for sure that he'd never get back up again.

-

To Hinata, it felt like she'd been watching a horrendous, never ending nightmare.

The car hit Haku, so hard that she could actually sense the pain caused, and unable to do anything else she watched how he hit the street like a rag doll, falling limp after rolling forward longer than should've been humanly possible. Her mind buzzing and eyes filling with a burning sensation she lifted her gaze towards the car – and felt her heart stop for a moment when meeting her father's eyes, which were filled with wild panic. She gasped, although there was no air left in her anymore, her chest convulsing with pain.

_No… No, this can't… _

With that time that had stood still for several seconds resumed, and her father made his decision. He hit gas pedal – obviously quite hard – and the car sped away, leaving her shuddering there like a leaf.

It took a while before she could move again, but when she did her weak legs worked much faster than ever in her life. She all but flew to Haku's side, her panicked eyes widening at the sight of all the blood and injuries while one of her hands landed in the boy's hair, which felt oddly sticky. " H – Haku?" She swallowed thickly, feeling so dizzy that she feared she'd collapse. " Haku, please, don't…"

His eyes opened a little, filled with so much silent agony and sadness that it hurt even her. He tried so speak, but ended up breaking into visibly painful, wet coughs. The horrendous pool of blood below him she was now much too aware of grew further, becoming so huge that she felt sick to her stomach.

She emitted a choked sound while stroking his hair, oblivious to the red that stained her trembling hands. " It's… It's going to work out… Just…"

The look of utter pain and sadness in Haku's eyes silenced her affectively. " I'm…" She barely caught the voice that erupted through hisses and coughs. " sorry…"

She frowned, panic not allowing her to think clearly.

What did Haku have to be sorry about?

She shuddered with startle when the boy grabbed her hand all of a sudden, most likely holding on with absolutely all he had although it felt like nothing more than a brush. More out of a reflex than anything else she squeezed back. And it was then she understood.

Her eyes filled with what she knew to be tears, and she could feel warmth crawling down her cheeks while her body started to shiver even more than it had so far. She didn't even notice how people gathered around them, gasping with shock, some starting to cry and one of them calling the emergency number.

Her whole attention was fixed on Haku while she held his hand even more tightly than before, trying to will him into holding on with all her might. " Don't… Don't go", she pleaded in a barely audible voice, bargaining with something neither of them had control over. " Hold on, please… Don't let go…"

_I love you_, she tried to whisper, with everything there was in her. _I love you, do you understand? So don't you dare leave me. Not yet, not like this._

Haku tried, so hard that it nearly broke her heart to watch the battle, but in the end the strain was just too much. A couple of tears he probably wouldn't have wanted to shed in front of her escaped when his eyes floated closed. The little grip he'd had on her hand broke as though a switch had been flicked.

She wanted to scream until there'd be no breath in her anymore, she wanted to rip something to pieces. But all she could do was stare as the one who'd became her all slipped away. Moving out of instinct her hand flew to his chest, only to find that there wasn't even a flutter anymore. Her own chest turned cold and hollow and it _hurt_, more than anything she'd ever felt before.

Emitting a heartbreaking mew she buried her face into a bloodied hand and all but collapsed onto Haku's hopelessly still form, shielding her face and the boy from prying eyes.

To her, it felt like the whole world had ended just then while everything inside her fell to tiny pieces.

* * *

During his life Sasuke had felt a lot of fear. None of it, however, had been even close to what he experienced when entering Itachi's room.

There was nothing horrendous about his currently sleeping brother, of course, except maybe unnaturally pale skin and dark shadows around the boy's eyes. There also weren't any chilling machines, most likely because Itachi had ordered them to be removed. But the room's whole atmosphere breathed out something that made him want to escape.

" 'Tachi?" He had hard time believing the childish sound actually came from him.

In a matter of seconds his brother moved. At first the older Uchiha blinked sluggishly, as though trying to figure out where he was, then turned his gaze towards him. He was terrified to discover how much had already disappeared from those formally soulful eyes. " Hey", Itachi whispered, clearly not having strength for anything more. The boy then noticed his injuries and wheelchair, and frowned with apparent worry. " Sasuke…"

He shook his head. " I'm fine." He then frowned as well, searching his brother's face. " Are you… in pain?"

The older boy shook his head barely traceably. " No." Albeit feeble, the response sounded sincere. " Not anymore."

Right then, feeling that this moment was something fade and fragile, he decided to ignore all the voices of reason inside his head. Paying no mind to the pain in his back and ankle he pushed himself up and limped his way to his brother's bed.

Itachi seemed somewhat confused for a moment when he crawled into the bed, but in the end forced himself into a sitting position to give him room. " Sasuke?"

It took a long moment before he could speak, and when he did he didn't dare to look at the older boy in fear of breaking down. " It's… It's bad, isn't it?"

Itachi remained silent for a long time before there was the weakest of responses. " Yeah." He knew his brother well enough to distinguish guilt in that voice, and felt even worse than before for making the boy worry about him.

Thick, hard silence lingered for several precious seconds while they both wondered how to go on, desperately wanted time to stop running away.

In the end, he surprised himself with speaking. " I… I'm scared." Gosh, how much pride it took to admit that! He couldn't meet his brother's eyes. " I don't want to lose you. I…" His voice faded away when being pushed through too much of restraint.

He shivered with surprise when feeling a hand in his hair, but soon relaxed against Itachi's familiar touch. Abandoning all his dignity he leaned his head against the boy's shoulder. " Everything's going to work out, 'Suke." He wished he could've blocked his ears from hearing how weak his brother's voice was, how feeble the touch linking him to sanity had become. " You're much stronger than you think. And… You won't be alone. You'll never be alone."

Holding on with his all to not break down – for he knew just how much his tears would hurt Itachi – he took his brother's hand and squeezed tightly, desperately. His face twisted into an expression of such agony that it would've torn anyone's heart.

As much as he would've wanted to draw comfort from Itachi's words, he couldn't help realizing that this felt far too much like goodbye. And it wasn't until then he understood just how little time there was left.

His chest ached, as though his heart had been smashed to pieces, and only a lump that appeared into his throat kept him from screaming.

-

Itachi's thoughts whirred while he stroked his brother's hair softly. Eventually, however, his mind settled into calmness, as though everything had become perfectly clear in an instant. For the first time in days it also didn't hurt anymore.

Feeling more tired than ever in his life he glanced towards Sasuke, who was barely awake. " You should rest", he murmured. " You've got a lot of recovering to do."

His brother remained unresponsive for some seconds before glancing up at him, eyes looking heartbreakingly lot like those hopeful ones of a five-year-old. " Will you… be here when I wake up?" the boy demanded in a husky voice.

He carried on his caressing motions, closing his tired eyes. " Just sleep, Sasuke. It's going to be alright."

Feeling how tense his brother remained against him, he started to hum softly, and eventually all stiffness drained away from the younger Uchiha. Opening his eyes an inch, he could see how hard Sasuke struggled to stay awake, but in the end medication and exhaustion took the best of the younger boy.

A tiny, sad smile rose to his face while he kept humming, waiting to be sure that his brother was definitely sound asleep. Eventually he heard steady, even breathing. It was then he dared to fall asleep as well.

The last thing he ever saw was Sasuke's sleeping face.

* * *

When Sasuke didn't show up for two hours, Naruto knew that something was very wrong. Feeling worry bubbling in the pit of his stomach, he made his way towards the room to which he'd pushed Sasuke's wheelchair – and felt his heart break at what he found from inside.

There, Sasuke seemed to be sleeping against an obviously dead, slightly smiling Itachi, who's lips already held a touch of blue. Strands of proud tears had dried to the younger Uchiha's face.

" Are you a friend of that younger boy?" He jumped a bit, then turned to meet a young, bald male nurse with gentle, dark eyes.

He nodded slowly. " Yeah", he replied, surprised by the lump in his throat. He glanced towards Sasuke. " Is… Is he okay?"

The nurse sighed. " Honestly… I don't know. But… I was wondering if you could take him away from here. It doesn't do him any good to see his brother like that, and we have to start preparing the body."

He nodded immediately. Sasuke had most likely been there when Itachi had passed away. If the boy would wake up to find his brother's body… " Of course."

His moves slow and cautious, he walked up to the raven, ran a hand through silky locks. " 'Suke?" he called quietly, hoping from the bottom of his heart that there'd be a reaction.

It took quite a while, but eventually Sasuke's eyes opened and turned towards him, seeming so lost and grief-stricken that his heart shuddered painfully.

It took his all to create a tiny, feeble smile. " The nurses need to get to work, so… I'll take you out of here, okay? Let's go somewhere else."

Sasuke seemed ready to argue, but in the end found no strength for such, instead closed his eyes and emitted a strange sound he couldn't recognize. He winced at how light the boy was when he lifted the raven up, careful to not disturb any injuries. He was surprised when instead of struggling away the Uchiha held on to him tightly, buried his face into his shoulder. He felt the other's lips move against his shirt, but couldn't make out the words.

He needed to get Sasuke away from here, he realized. And fast, before any more damage would be done.

He had no idea of how long he walked until finally ending up into an empty waiting room. His legs growing weak he fell to a seat, pulling Sasuke tightly to his chest. The Uchiha didn't react to him in any way whatsoever, not even when he started to play with the boy's hair. " It's okay now", he whispered, wishing he would've sounded more convincing. He opened his mouth futilely a couple of times before sound came. " It's… It's going to be okay."

For a couple of moments nothing happened. Then, so unexpectedly that it startled him, Sasuke shuddered against him. He didn't understand what was happening until the boy started to shiver violently and something warm appeared to the place on his shirt against which the raven's face was pressed.

Biting his lip to keep himself from bursting into tears, he held on to the Uchiha as tightly as he dared to and lifted his gaze towards the ceiling.

How on earth was he going to fix this one?

* * *

TBC, right?

* * *

A/N: Sad, much? (blows nose)

Awkay, I really should start to get going now, because there's a project I'm determined to get sealed today and I'm getting really busy.

**PLEASE**, do leave a review! I've still got some special treats for wonderful reviewers, ya know…? (winks)

Until next time (which will be the LAST proper chapter – holy damn)! 'Hope you'll all join in then.

Peace out!

* * *

**Chapter countdown**

Only two to go folks, including the epilogue! (sniffs) I can't believe it, either.

* * *

**Ap**: Yeah, they're all in a hospital indeed. (sniffs) And they truly never get a chance to be alone – though maybe that's a good thing…

Truckloads of thank yous for the review – 'happy to hear you've liked the ficcy so far! 'Hope you'll be staying tuned.


	12. Maybe Redemption Has Stories To Tell

A/N: Ugh… It's been pretty hectic for me lately (with school, NOT because of FF), BUT I nonetheless managed to pull together the next chapter – and within a week, too! (grins like a sunshine) YAY!

As always, thank you, THANK you for all those absolutely unbelievable reviews! (gives a HUUUGE hug) You guys are seriously miracle workers when it comes to keeping an author going, you know? And super, special thank yous to **Serenityofthematrix** for the incredible work of proofreading! (If you spot any mistakes in this chapter, it's because my computer's been acting up for a while now. I think I'll throw it against a wall sometime soon to put it out of its misery…) (growls)

Okay, before you'll start digging out weapons… LET'S ROLL! Enjoy, yeah?

* * *

/ **Two Weeks Later.** /

* * *

A threat of rain could be sensed in the air while Sasuke stood on a dangerously high cliff, holding the restless Bucephalus' bridle unnecessarily tight while looking at a river flowing far below. His eyes were chillingly empty while his mind drifted far away.

In his ears, he could still hear his brother's voice telling him everything would be all right.

He could still see Itachi's small, sad smile – it was as though his brother had known about his approaching fate from the very beginning, and accepted it without a fight.

And at that moment, he could just feel a familiar hand on his shoulder, trying to give him the strength he desperately needed.

His eyes gained just a little bit of life while he sighed heavily, feeling his chest twitch. " It's… time, isn't it?" he asked of no one in particular.

Bucephalus' nervous noises were his soul response.

Shivering slightly, he opened his hand to see a very familiar blade on it – the same he'd used far more times than he could count. For several moments he was absolutely still until a bout of certainty hit him.

Gritting his teeth, he turned his hand around and watched how the deviously dangerous object disappeared into the raging water waiting for it. He gave another heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

It took a while, but eventually he was functional again. He winced a bit at pain that radiated from several places at one go while he rose onto Bucephalus' back. " Let's go", he muttered to the horse, stroking its hair with one hand. " It's been done."

Thunder boomed in the distance while they disappeared.

* * *

CHAPTER 12: Maybe Redemption Has Stories To Tell

* * *

About an hour later, Naruto's eyes were filled with worry while he watched Sasuke – who'd only gotten out of the hospital the day before – pull on dark clothes with hands that trembled lightly. " No one would blame you for not going, you know?"

After a couple of seconds the raven shook his head, glancing towards a mirror. " No. I need to do this." The voice was uncharacteristically quiet, almost disappearing completely. " I… owe this to him."

He opened his mouth, but before he ever got the chance to speak there was a knock on the room's door and Kakashi peered in. The man didn't seem any cheerier than Sasuke. " It's time."

Sasuke nodded faintly.

As soon as the man was gone, Naruto walked up to the raven and took the boy's hand, desperately trying to send a message.

_I'm right here, okay? You don't have to go through this alone._

The Uchiha remained unresponsive for a while, until there was a strong, nearly desperate squeeze. After a moment a near whisper came. " Let's just get going, okay?"

* * *

Hinata had a feeling that she was making a huge mistake when she entered the police station that day, her legs trembling so that she could barely stand.

Her mother, who was going with her, gave her a worried look. " Are you sure you can do this?"

She nodded, unable to do anything else.

A rather young male officer with brown hair that covered one dark eye gave her a look as she entered. " Can I help you?"

She swallowed thickly. " I… just got a phone call. I understood you found my father."

Some pieces apparently clicking, the man nodded with a solemn expression. " Follow me."

They made their way through what felt like a million turns, eventually ending up to a rather dark, extremely chilling hallway. On a tiny bench she saw none other than Hiashi Hyuuga.

For some moments time stood still, as though holding its breath. Then, slowly and cautiously, the man's eyes turned towards her.

He stared at her for the longest moment until all but whispering. " I'm… sorry." His expression told just how much it took for him to get those words out, but it didn't soothe her raging heart the slightest.

Hinata was by no means a violent person – there was probably no one else as calm as she. But at that moment she boiled over, so badly that she feared the tension would suffocate her. All rage, helplessness and sorrow became unleashed.

" You killed him!" she nearly screamed, her heart thumping and crackling at the same time. Tears came, but she paid no attention to them. " You… You killed the person who meant the world to me, and you… you're expecting me to…!" Words disappeared, but the flash in her father's eyes told that he knew exactly what she would've wanted to scream out loud.

_I hate you, do you understand? I'll never, ever forgive you for this._

" Hinata." Her mother's voice was soft and gentle, but the touch on her shoulder carried tension. " Could you… wait in the car?"

She nodded, eager to leave.

Before turning around sharply, she cast one last glance at her father. At that moment she knew she'd never see him again.

She didn't look back as she left.

-

Hiashi felt something inside him crack while watching his daughter go.

" I… lost her, too, didn't I?" he asked, more to himself than Naremi.

The woman cast a hazardous look towards him. " You just broke your own daughter to pieces, Hiashi", she snarled. " If what _you've_ lost is all you can care about, you've sunken even deeper than I thought." The woman then turned around, starting to walk away with fire-filled steps. " And for your information… You lost us all a long time ago." She was gone before a single breath passed his lips.

He didn't know exactly how long he'd remained frozen until a harsh pull hauled him up. " Let's go. You've already wasted enough of my time."

He knew exactly where he was being taken, what'd happen to him soon. But he didn't feel a thing.

As far as he was concerned, he was already dead.

* * *

Sasuke had never felt the kind of pain he did when standing in the cemetery that day.

It'd been excruciatingly hard, but not half as bad as he'd expected, to listen to the priest talking inside the church, followed by speeches from those who'd cared about Itachi the most. (He hadn't taken his own stand – he would've never been able to pull it through.) But this, watching the actual burial… was pure, utter torture.

All the while his brother's familiar voice echoed in his ears, and he was much too aware of the fact that it was nothing but a distant memory.

/ _" Stop worrying, Sasuke. I'm not leaving for good." _/

His eyes becoming blurred by a hellish searing sensation, he watched how a beautiful, white coffin was lowered to the ground. His heart thumped, knowing that the worst part was yet to come.

/ _" I promise that I'll never leave you all alone."_ /

As soon as the coffin had been fully lowered to the hole, people started to move. Steps numb and heavy, he followed a line of people as everyone threw one white lily to the hole in which his brother now lay.

/ _" I'm your big brother. How could I ever leave you?"_ /

Only his pride kept him from emitting a sound of utter pain when it was his turn. His own flower slipped from his hand, floating down into darkness.

Along with water, something warm rolled down his cheeks while he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, shivering uncontrollably.

/ _" You're much stronger than you think. And… You won't be alone. You'll never be alone."_ /

He shuddered when feeling a hand grab his but relaxed after a moment, recognizing the touch. He squeezed back with all his might. For once Naruto said nothing while they stood there.

When he finally found the strength to open his eyes, he discovered that pretty much everyone else but he and Naruto had left – only Kakashi and Yamato stood a subtle distance away, seeming deep in thought.

The blonde gave him a sad look. " 'You gonna be okay?"

He made a choked sound, not having enough breath and energy for a proper response, and turned his gaze to the tombstone. His gaze blurred immediately, no matter how hard he tried to hold back emotions. " 'Miss you", he mouthed inaudibly.

He knew it was most likely his imagination, but he was almost sure wind carried a response the exact same second Naruto wrapped a pair of comforting arms around him.

/ _" I'll miss you, too."_ /

He closed his eyes once more, holding on to Naruto's hand even more tightly.

-

Kakashi, whose eyes had been directed to a nearby hill, frowned when seeing something dark – almost like… a figure.

_Itachi…?_, he mused, shivering at the ridiculous thought.

The vision, however, disappeared just as fast as it'd appeared.

" 'Kashi?" He turned his gaze to meet Yamato's worried eyes. " What's wrong?"

He shook his head, looking back at the hill. There was still nothing. " Just… my imagination playing tricks with me", he replied.

* * *

Pretty late that evening – almost past visiting hours – Gaara had nearly fallen asleep while sitting with an already sleeping Neji in the boy's hospital bed when the room's door opened, startling him. He wasn't all that surprised to find Yamato, who seemed exhausted. " Hey", the brunette greeted. " I thought I should tell you… The police are looking for Zaku, with charges of assaults and several other crimes – they were pretty secretive about the details."

He nodded, feeling relief flow through him. He didn't give a damn about the names of Zaku's charges – all that mattered to him was that the freak would never bother Neji and him again.

His thoughts whirring, he stroked Neji's hair with uncharacteristic affection for a while before looking at Yamato. " Thank you, for the information."

The man nodded and looked towards the Hyuuga. " I thought you'd both like to know." The brunette hesitated for a while. " How's he doing?"

He shrugged a bit. " Much better than the doctors expected. He… isn't so troubled by silence anymore."

He was surprised to find the brunette smiling at him. " You're good for him, you know?" the man stated in a soft tone. " You're the only one who can help him through this."

He felt his heart twitch when looking at Neji's face.

_I really hope I'll succeed._

" You know… Kakashi and I have done some thinking." Yamato's voice pulled him out of those thoughts. " Konoha… would have a room for one more inhabitant right now. Would you like to come?"

His eyes widened uncharacteristically, and his heart jumped violently. Was the man… serious? When seeing no traces of a lie, he nodded with such eagerness he might've found embarrassing in some other situation. " I…" He swallowed thickly. " Thank you."

Yamato merely smiled. " I need to make some arrangements, so I'll leave you two alone."

Gaara barely noticed the man leaving. He stared at the room's door for the longest time, his heart still jumping madly.

For the first time since he'd met Neji he felt hope.

* * *

That night, Naruto stayed with Sasuke until the first hours of morning dawned, watching over the raven who'd eventually fallen into a fitful sleep.

He sighed while stroking soft, black locks, and closed his own eyes.

The past day been excruciatingly long for him, and he could imagine ten times more so for Sasuke. But maybe things would start to sort themselves out now. Maybe healing could finally start.

All of a sudden, he had a feeling that something huge was about to happen. He frowned and – reluctant to leave Sasuke alone – left the bed as quietly as he possibly could.

As though he'd been following a path, his feet led him downstairs. He blinked thrice when finding Kabuto stood by a doorway with a tiny back bag fully prepared, obviously leaving. " What are you doing?" he demanded, although it was quite obvious.

Shuddering with startle, the boy turned to look towards him. Had there been less of a mess between them, he might've felt worse than he did when seeing the lost expression upon the boy's face. " I… don't belong here, Naruto. I think we both know that much."

He nodded before processing the gesture further. There was a moment of heavy silence. " Where are you going?"

The boy shrugged. " Kakashi gave me well enough money for a buss ticket when I told him I'd be leaving. It's time to get away."  
He nodded once more, suddenly realizing that there was nothing left he would've wanted to say, no such issues that would've needed to be dealt with. It was really over this time.

Silence was their only goodbye to each other while Kabuto opened the door and walked out, making barely a sound.

He stared at the closed door for the longest time with a lot of dizziness.

_It_ didn't make a sound.

* * *

/ **Ten Days Later.** /

* * *

It took time and a lot of effort, but eventually life seemed to find a relatively normal course. Without Kabuto's presence as a constant reminder of his past and a lot of people as his support, Naruto's once battered heart healed better than he could've ever imagined possible. And he was far beyond pleased and relieved that Sasuke seemed to be recovering as well, piece by piece. Little by little Sasuke started to feel like Sasuke again. But with all that'd happened, he couldn't relax completely just yet.

And therefore – with the two of them sitting in the living room, the raven in his lap – he stiffened when Sasuke shuddered all of a sudden, obviously with pain. His gaze darted towards the boy in an instant. " What's wrong?"

Sasuke emitted what sounded like a growl of irritation. " I'm fine, dobe. My back's hurting a little, that's all. Stop being paranoid."

He scoffed, his chest daring to calm down. " Well, excuse me for worrying after everything that's happened."

" Naruto." Sasuke looked at him directly in his eyes. " Stop treating me like I'm made of glass, okay? It'll drive us both insane." After thinking about it for quite a while the boy showed his wrists, which held no new marks. " I'm not going anywhere."

He blinked a bit at those words and the raven's gesture, which – although they were plain – sneaked into his heart, causing it to warm up. After giving it the briefest thought he took the Uchiha's hand and started to rub it, finding it amusing how obviously the boy enjoyed his ministrations. " That's… good to hear", he murmured, pulling the boy just a little bit closer with one arm.

Although he couldn't see it, because the other turned his back to him, he could sense Sasuke's roll of the eyes while the boy subconsciously snuggled a bit closer.

Neither knew how long the silence lasted, with Sasuke going back to reading his book and he watching the flames dancing eagerly in a fireplace with a smile. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the Uchiha lifted his gaze from the book and thought for a moment before speaking. " There's… something that's been bothering to me." He could tell they were both surprised by that confession. " Back when I woke up… you wanted to tell me something." The raven's posture was slightly stiffened, demanding. " What was it?"

His eyes widened as he realized that no matter how determined he'd been to say _those_ words, he now ran completely out of courage. He swallowed thickly, then kissed the other's hair. " I'll… tell you eventually, believe it. But… not yet. Not before I've had a chance to think about it."

The raven shrugged, then – stunning them both – shifted and kissed his nose. " 'K." The boy then poked his forehead with two fingers, a hard look in his onyx eyes. " Stop that frowning, dobe. It doesn't suit you."

He pouted with a smile, feeling incredibly warm and relieved. " Bastard."

After a 'Hn' from Sasuke they lapsed into yet another peaceful silence, with the raven reading and he playing with the Uchiha's hair, ignoring the boy's occasional light slaps at his hand.

Their moment was cut when there were sounds of someone appearing into the room. He turned his gaze, and frowned when seeing the look upon Iruka's face. " What's up?"

The brunette's expression changed once more while the man took in the sight of he and Sasuke, making him feel chills. " Naruto… Could you come with me for a moment? There's something I need to tell you."

He nodded wordlessly, then – after giving Sasuke a chaste kiss – followed his foster father. They ended up in the next room.

He frowned once more they stood, feeling very cold all of a sudden. " What's up? Because you're creeping me out."

The man sighed heavily, then pulled out a letter and showed it to him. " I took this with me when coming here, because you weren't doing all that well and I thought it'd cheer you up. It arrived three days after you left and I couldn't wait to get to give it to you. But… Now…" There was some hesitation. " Naruto… Do you remember how you sent a application and a recording to that high school specialized in music?" (1)

He blinked. " Of course. It's an incredible place." Then it dawned on him, and his eyes widened dramatically. His heart turned so cold that it almost stilled. " Oh… crap…"

Iruka looked at him with deep sympathy. " So… What do you want to do? You'll be leaving from here tomorrow, anyway, and that school was your dream, but..." The man trailed off.

Feeling a huge lump in his throat, he looked towards where Sasuke was sitting, still reading a book deep in thought. His eyes started to sting nearly unbearably.

_I don't know_, he confessed, though only to himself. _I don't have a damn clue._

* * *

About two hours later Shikamaru found himself leaning against the door frame of Ino's room. " Hey, do you want to…?" All words froze in his throat when he saw a set of packed up bags. A deep frown appeared while coldness spread all the way through him. " What… the heck's going on here?"

He could hear a deep sigh. Ino closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. " Look… I need help, okay? With getting over Sai and dad, sorting out my head…" Blue eyes met his. " This is a amazing place, but… I'm just not getting better here, okay? No matter how hard I try."

His frown deepened still. " So you're just… leaving?" His head spun with disbelief and his chest hurt, although he wasn't sure why.

The girl nodded, seeming somewhat embarrassed of giving up. " Yeah. My mother's coming to get me in five minutes – she promised we'll finally have a real talk today. After that we'll see what to do." Then, as though in a spur of the moment, she walked up to him and hugged him, so tightly that it nearly caught his breath. " Thanks, okay? For everything."

He swallowed with a lot of difficulty. " No… problem…"

Then, as though everything had been just a little bit more than he could understand, he watched how the girl gathered her belongings, and cast a somewhat sad smile towards him. " I'll call you someday, okay?" He wasn't entirely sure if he could believe in that promise.

He was too dumbstruck to speak, to do a thing, while she walked past him and left the room, most likely without glancing back.

For some reason he had a feeling that he'd just let go of much more than only a friend.

* * *

Neji wasn't the type that'd get scared easily. But when he walked out of the hospital that day, he found his heart thumping with what he could only call terror.

All the silence, all the words people around him spoke he couldn't hear… It was overwhelming to him.

He shivered a bit when feeling a warm hand in his all of a sudden. Looking to side, he felt some of the nervousness he'd been feeling disappear when meeting Gaara's eyes, which were filled with enough confidence and reassurance for them both.

_It'll be okay_, the redhead said without any words. _I won't leave you again._

The coldness that'd lingered inside him all day vanished as though someone had simply blown it away. He allowed his hand to tighten around Gaara's.

_Thank you._

At that moment the redhead did something neither of them would've expected. A tiny, barely traceable smile decorated the boy's lips for a moment.

He took a deep breath, and with that they started to walk towards Yamato's car, which was waiting for them not too far away. They never let go of each other.

-

The two of them, of course, didn't know that they were being observed.

Zaku's eyes darkened with defeat and something else when he watched the couple disappear into a car which soon took off, taking Neji away.

It was really over, he realized with disheartening certainty.

" So, kid…" The male voice actually startled him. " Are you ready to go now?"

He nodded slowly, first looking towards the man stood behind him – a dark haired police officer named Ebisu, who never took of his sunglasses – then dropped his gaze to the handcuffs entrapping his wrists firmly. " Yeah…", he muttered in what was close to a sigh. " Take me away from here."

Neither of them said a word while they walked to an awaiting police vehicle.

* * *

That day, Naruto found himself avoiding Sasuke. He knew he was being a coward, but he just couldn't tell the raven his news.

So many people had already left the Uchiha, one way or another. And now he'd become such a person as well.

His luck, however, didn't last forever. He jumped with mild fight when Sasuke suddenly entered his room with a steely expression.

He swallowed hard. " What… What are you doing here?"

Dark eyes flashed. " Do you honestly think I wouldn't notice you avoiding me, dobe?"

He tried his best to look confused. " What are you talking about?"

Sasuke growled, left eyebrow twitching. " Just spill, before I'll have to make you."

Realizing that he wouldn't be able to win this, he gave a sound of exasperation. He couldn't meet Sasuke's eyes while he spoke, because that would've definitely been the last straw to his faltering self control. " I… I just found out that I got this place to study." It was unbelievably hard to even imagine saying the rest. " I'm leaving, to Tokyo."

Sasuke remained silent for so long that it actually scared him. In the end came what wasn't much stronger than a whisper. " When?"

Hearing Sasuke take a seat beside him on the bed, he chewed his lip so hard that it almost bled. " Tomorrow."

Silence fell, so hard and heavy that it nearly smothered him.

In the end he groaned, running a slightly trembling hand through his hair. " This sucks." His voice shuddered, but he didn't care about it all that much at the moment. He gasped. " I… I'm so sorry."

" Hn." He looked towards Sasuke as the boy made a sound, and found the raven looking as though he'd been gathering himself. " It's not your fault, dobe. We just had very bad timing."

At that moment a flush of desperate hope washed over him. " Come with me." Seeing the raven's incredulous look, he went on. " What? I'm sure it'd work – we're already together practically all the time. It'd be fun."

Sasuke groaned a bit, seeming to be fighting with himself. " Naruto, no." The boy waited – perhaps even hesitated – before going on. " I… have a long way to go before I'll be… okay, I guess. You must know that by now."

He frowned. " So what?"

Onyx eyes carried several emotions the Uchiha was most likely unaware of when meeting his. " I've tried to take that road before, and it's not pretty. I don't want you to see it. And… I need the people here around me. I can't keep leaning only on you, especially with you recovering as well, or I'll take you down as well."

He was discouraged for a moment, then folded his arms with a determined expression, looking like a child. " Then I'll stay, too."

Sasuke's eyes turned somewhat soft. " Dobe, don't be a fool." A hand brushed his. " You need to leave just as much as I have to stay. I'm not letting you stop chasing your dreams because of me."

He frowned, not liking this. " What about you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, although there seemed to be something strange upon the raven's face. " I'm not completely depended on you, deadlast. Besides, I wouldn't have been ready…" The boy gestured with his hand. " … _this_, anyway. We would've both gone crazy." Seeing the look in his eyes, the Uchiha made a 'Hn'. " Don't look so heartbroken. This isn't goodbye, you know?"

He swallowed thickly and – following his deepest desires – wrapped a pair of arms tightly around the raven, burying his face into a warm shoulder. It took what felt like an hour before he managed to speak. " This… is our last night, right?"

Sasuke gave what sounded like a tiny sigh. " Stop being so dramatic." The Uchiha's tone, however, told that the raven wasn't the slightest bit more comfortable with this.

At that moment, a surge so strong he'd never felt anything like it flowed through him. Before he knew it he was kissing the boy with something he'd never dared to feel, let alone show, before.

He wanted Sasuke to know just how much he cared about the raven, how little he wanted to leave this all behind. He wanted to give this, his all, just so the Uchiha would know he'd come back again to get it.

Sasuke shuddered a little when his lips traced down the boy's neck, first gently and hesitantly, then – as heat started to rise – with quite a bit more force, determined to make sure his intentions would be known. Sasuke didn't hesitate to join the dance, and soon enough their hands and lips were everywhere, each brush hot and intoxicating. Warmth rose the higher the more fabric was thrown to the room's floor.

The bed sighed a little under their weight when he decided to seal whatever was happening between them, cupped Sasuke face into both hands and laid both of them to the mattress. The raven's eyes flashed when looking up into his, and for a while they fought over dominance with even more kisses and heated touches.

He grinned into the Uchiha's neck when the boy finally gave in, apparently deciding to enjoy instead of struggle. After the first moments of awkwardness they started to catch on, and moved as though they'd known each other's every single secret, been like this countless times.

As they shivered against one another's warmth and brushes, they both knew something with chilling certainty.

Things would never be the same again.

* * *

Hinata was shivering violently when standing by the hospital's morgue, using all her willpower to keep herself from running away.

Today – with all investigations finished – Haku's body could finally be released to be buried. She wasn't sure if it meant that she was a masochist, but she needed to see him before that, as though to make sure he was okay.

He owed that much to a boy who'd saved her life, whom she'd cared about more than she'd ever realized before this.

" Miss Hyuuga?" Looking up, she saw through the blur caused by tears a woman with long brown hair that'd been tied into a ponytail. " Would you please follow me?"

She never heard the TV placed nearby. The local news was on. " Today, a visitor made a shocking discovery in Konoha's most guarded prison when a body of a forty years old male prisoner was found. Officials are quiet about the details, but according to our information the murder was exceptionally cruel. It's also suspected that the homocide had something to do with a well known businessman Hirime Gatô…"

(It wasn't until late that evening Hinata's mother visited Konoha and told her that Hiashi Hyuuga was dead.)

It took what felt torturously long for Hinata before they'd finally made it to the correct room. The woman gave her a look of sympathy before opening the door. " Take your time, and don't hesitate to walk out if you feel like it, okay?"

Nodding was all she could do.

She'd prepared herself for the very worst before entering the room. Nothing, however, could've matched with reality. Her eyes overflowed the second the harsh, merciless sight was presented to her.

There, on a metallic table and shielded only by a thin, white sheet, lay Haku. Despite the cover she could see the cuts made on him all too clearly, found her eyes straying to the boy's blue lips, still chest and sickeningly pale skin.

It took several minutes and a lot more courage than she would've ever imagined, but eventually she managed to usher herself into moving. Her steps were impossibly heavy, and by the time she made it to the chair placed beside the table she slumped down with utter exhaustion. Tears she was blissfully unaware of ran unchecked.

She opened her mouth several times without the slightest sound, but eventually came to a conclusion that she wouldn't need to say a thing – Haku already knew. Therefore she took his hand with a lot more force than she'd intended, closed her eyes and grit teeth to keep herself from whimpering.

She was determined to make sure Haku wouldn't be alone and feel cold in this cruel place before he'd be taken away.

* * *

Naruto blinked several times when waking up the following morning, wondering if everything that'd happened the night before had been nothing but a wonderful dream. Soon enough, however, small surges of pain he was surprisingly comfortable with confirmed that what he'd experienced had definitely been hundred percent real.

He grinned brightly, until his expression faltered under the weight of solemn facts.

This was his last morning here. Soon he'd have to say his goodbyes to Sasuke.

After giving a deep sigh he turned his head to side – only to find that the other side of the bed was empty. His eyebrows furrowed with confusion. " 'suke?" Apparently, he was still too sleepy for his voice to work properly.

Just then he noticed a piece of paper that'd slipped around halfway underneath the raven's pillow. Curious as always, he fished it out.

_I've never been much good with goodbyes, so I'll put this shortly._

_Good luck with reaching out for your dreams – I'm sure that if anyone can achieve something that crazy, it's you. I'll be watching you every step of the way. Don't you dare look over your shoulder while you go._

_Bye, and thank you._

_S_

He emitted a tiny, choked sound, and subconsciously wiped his cheek when feeling something wet on it. " Teme…"

He sat there, as though paralyzed by something, for far longer than he'd been supposed to. In the end he realized that he'd have to move eventually.

With another deep sigh he pushed himself up and started to pack his bags.

* * *

Meanwhile outside the mansion, Iruka – who'd been preparing and packing up the car while waiting for Naruto and Shizune – jumped a bit when hearing Kakashi's voice. " So here you are. I was afraid you'd slip away before we'd have a chance to talk."

After taking a deep, evening breath, he turned his head so that he was face to face with the gray haired, who was currently leaning against his car. " Talk… about what?"

The Hatake seemed amused for a moment, then so solemn that it chilled him. " Look…" The man turned his gaze away from him. " Before this summer, I thought I'd never forgive you."

He felt a cold shiver – of hope or dread, he didn't know. " Have you… changed your mind?"

Kakashi shrugged. " We'll see. Maybe I'll find out when I answer to your letter." Apparently having found out whatever he'd been pondering, the man turned around and started to walk away. " Drive safely."

He stared with confusion for a while, then melted into a small smile of tremendous relief. Hope he hadn't dared to feel in years fluttered somewhere inside.

" I will."

* * *

About half an hour after waking up, Naruto walked down the stairs, glancing around him with disbelief.

It felt like he'd only just arrived the day before. How… could this be over already?

He jumped a bit when hearing noises, then grinned a bit despite everything when seeing Kakashi, Yamato, Shikamaru, Sakura, Neji, Gaara and even Hinata gathered together right below the stairs.

" What's with the face?" Shikamaru inquired. " Did you really think we'd let you sneak out without saying bye?"

The next few moments were chaos with everyone saying their parting words, wishing him luck and all but threatening him to call every once in a while to let them know how he was doing.

The last one to hug him was Sakura. " Good luck, Naruto", she whispered, voice filled with tears she'd probably shed sometime soon. " Take good care of yourself, okay?"

He nodded breathlessly. When they broke apart he looked around the room with a frown, searching for a certain face.

Sakura, most likely seeing this, smiled slightly. " I'm sure he'll come around eventually. He won't make the mistake of letting you go without saying a word."

He managed to fake a smile. " Yeah, I guess…"

Then, with a wave of hand, he started to walk away, blinking against a stinging in his eyes. The door screeched a little when he walked out of Konoha.

Outside the mansion he stood still with a heavy sigh, allowing his gaze to linger on the landscape, still searching.

_I can't believe this. Is he…?_

Just then, his ears twitched at a very familiar sound. His eyes widened.

_A… horse…?_ Hope made his heart jump. _Could it be…?_

Once he turned his gaze, his heart was sent fluttering at the sight he met. Sure enough, it was Bucephalus approaching him, with Sasuke sitting on its back.

" So you did come to say bye!" he all but exclaimed, voice filled with joy, when the Uchiha jumped off the horse's back with effortless movements.

Onyx eyes were even darker than usual when finding his. " I almost didn't."

He found it almost hard to breathe when wrapping his arms as tightly as humanly possible around Sasuke, and he was fairly sure some tears spilled when the raven returned the hold. His fingers grabbed to other's shirt as though never wanting to let go. " I… I wish you could come with me."

Sasuke stroked his hair, which sent a shiver of pleasure through him. " Hn." Was that… a kiss he felt? " Now get going, dobe. You've got a long way to go."  
In some other situation he might've laughed.

Was Sasuke serious? He didn't want to let go!

Eventually, however, he understood that he couldn't stall the inevitable forever. Slowly and reluctantly he distanced himself from the raven, locking eyes with the onyx ones. " I'll come back", he whispered in a husky tone. " I swear I'll come back to you. So wait for me, okay?"

Sasuke remained still for quite a while, then nodded barely traceably.

Once more following his urges, he slammed his lips against the Uchiha's, sealing them into a kiss that left absolutely no room for doubt. Sasuke responded after a moment, causing his eyes to gain a searing sensation.

He gasped when they finally broke apart – to hold back tears and out of breath – and didn't dare to meet Sasuke's eyes anymore in fear of what it'd do to him. At that moment he finally got the courage to say what he'd been supposed to utter since the raven's accident. " I… I love you." It came out so quietly that he was fairly sure the other didn't even hear. He swallowed laboriously. " I hope you know that."

If he even heard, Sasuke never got the chance to speak out, because just then Bucephalus moved restlessly when hearing the sounds of an approaching car. Naruto's heart sunk when Iruka peered through an open window with a sad expression. " I'm sorry, but we have to get going."

He glanced towards Sasuke with helpless eyes, realizing that walking away was the last thing he wanted to do just then.

The raven rolled his eyes. " Just go, dobe. We both know this has to be done."

Feeling almost desperate, he gave the raven one more kiss – as though making sure the boy wouldn't forget – then spun around and all but ran to the car, fearing that a slower pace would give him a chance to change his mind.

Was that ' _I love you, too_' he heard, or just his imagination?

He wasn't sure how long they'd been driving when he finally became aware of Iruka observing him through the rearview mirror. He blinked with a bit of confusion, hoping that he would've felt stronger than he did then. " What?" It was more of a breath than actually speech.

Iruka frowned, refocusing to the narrow road before them. The man waited for a moment. " Are you okay?"

Unable to speak for a while, he turned his head so that he could look at Konoha through the car's back window. He was almost sure he saw Sasuke there, although it was extremely unlikely.

And at that moment this strangest peace filled his aching chest.

" Yeah", he all but whispered, his eyes remaining on the sight for a little while longer. " I… will be, I guess."

They hadn't said goodbye – that was what Sasuke had told him, and he wanted to believe it with all his heart. No matter how long it'd take, he'd come back and find the boy. After all, he'd left his heart behind it – he wouldn't be able to live long without it.

With that thought he managed to smile just a little bit while whispering inaudibly. " See you soon, Sasuke."

* * *

TBC – for an epilogue, anyway.

* * *

1) According to my knowledge, in Japan high school starts at the age of fifteen. Please, do correct me if I'm wrong?

* * *

A/N: (blows a nose) I can't friggin' believe this – they're getting pulled apart again! (starts crying almost hysterically)

Awkay, AGAIN, it's VERY late, and my eyes are barely open at the moment, so I better go. But before that…

**PLEASE**, do review! Saying I'm busy at the moment would be quite an understatement, so I could reeeally use your support right now. (bats eyelashes with puppy dog eyes) Pwease? I've still got candies and some doughnuts left if you're interested…

'Til next time, folks! I truly hope I'll see you all around the epilogue.

Peace out!

* * *

**Chapter countdown**

Only an epilogue left! (fights to hold back tears) Surreal, huh?


	13. Epilogue

A/N: I… can't believe this… Folks, the last chapter is finally here! (faints with shock, only to wake up to Sasuke poking with a stick)

BUT, firstly, of course… Massive, COLOSSAL thank yous for all those stunning reviews! (HUUUUUGS) Gosh, you really seemed to like the chapter before. Thank you so much! And once more, special thank yous to **Serenityofthematrix** for the unbelievable workload you've done for this one! (**Anonymous reviewers**, your responses can be found from underneath the chappy, dattebayo.)

Awkay, because I can just feel you're all anxious to get on with it, LET'S ROCK! I truly hope you'll be satisfied with this ending. (gulps nervously)

WARNING: This chapter includes a song I've written. I couldn't write a decent song to save my life, but the scene demanded it, so… (winces) Already in beforehand, I'm so sorry!

* * *

/ **Two And A Half Years Later.** /

* * *

Naruto's blue eyes carried some confusion while he looked into the mirror, as though he hadn't been fully ready to believe that the person looking back at him was really Naruto Uzumaki.

His stylist – Tsunami – grinned a bit at his expression. " Can I take that as I've succeeded?"

He nodded eagerly. " Definitely."

The past years had changed him quite a bit. Naturally he'd grown in height and lost the last traces of his childlike looks, and now – a couple of months after his eighteenth birthday – he looked almost like a man. What made the change even more dramatic was his hair, which was now dyed the very darkest shade of brown.

_If only Sasuke could see me now…_, he mused, and his expression fell immediately.

Tsunami frowned, poking one of his eyebrows gently. " Hey, what's with the face?"

He forced himself to smile, even if just a little. " Nah, I was just… thinking. Stage fright, I guess."

The woman snorted. " Naruto, you never have stage fright."

Fortunately he was spared from further questions, because just then the room's door was opened and Chouji peered in. " Naruto, get moving. The interview starts in two minutes."

He nodded, his head whirring uncomfortably. " Yeah."

As soon as the other young man had disappeared Tsunami gave him a small push. " You heard him. So move it, before you end up being late for your third official interview as well. And smile, _for real_ – this is a day of joy, remember?"

He rolled his eyes a bit. " Yeah, yeah." He waved a hand while dashing away. " See you later."

* * *

CHAPTER 13: Epilogue

* * *

At the beginning of the interview – which was made by a brown haired woman who'd briefly introduced herself as Ibara – Naruto had felt extremely nervous. But eventually, with the questions becoming more and more personal, something close to rage started to bubble up.

" So… Naruto." The woman's eyes were sharp when meeting his, as though she was looking at something utterly disgusting. " You've been quite open about your history with schizophrenia." She evaluated him with her gaze, making him feel filthy. " How… are you doing today?"

He fought the urge to groan, and found himself shivering a bit with rage. " I'm fine, thank you for asking. I take my medication obediently, so the… _problem_ is well under control."

The woman nodded and wrote – what, he probably didn't even want to know. She spoke again after a while. " You're all young men." She glanced at them all this time. " Any news on your love lives our readers would like to know?"

Chouji – the drummer of their band – blushed to a shade of scarlet, whereas Kankuro, their bassist, glared dangerously.

Gaara, who'd ended up as their singer, folded his arms with a twitching eyebrow. " My boyfriend and I are very happy, thank you."

Ibara nearly choked on her mere breath and blushed, which was something Naruto was very happy to see. It took a while before she regained her composure and looked at him. " And you? Any surprises?"

For a moment he thought about denying everything, but then… " Actually…" _To hell with privacy_, he decided. He should've done this a long time ago. He looked at his hands, which were twitching and squirming nervously. " There's someone… precious I left behind. I've never regretted anything as much."

The woman's eyes flashed while she nodded and wrote furiously. " I see…" Her eyes carried a gleam when meeting his. " Do you think she's still waiting for you?"

He grinned nervously, not bothering to correct the false assumption. " Honestly… I have no idea. But I'll find out soon…"

* * *

Very early in the next morning, Gaara, Neji, Sakura, Hinata and the rest of the band had gathered at an airport, or more precisely around a very nervous looking Naruto.

Naruto found himself gasping under Sakura's merciless bear hug. " Good luck. Not that you'll need it – I'm sure you'll know exactly where to go."

He fought back a sigh. " I really hope so." Just then the last call for his flight came. He picked up his bag, feeling even more nervous than before. " It's… time, I guess." He then waved a hand, managing to grin just a little bit. " See you around, guys!"

There was a storm of byes and wishes of luck.

-

About five minutes later Gaara and Neji were walking out of the building. Gaara brushed Neji's hand – which he'd been holding – a little to signal that he was about to speak. " Do you think he'll succeed?"

Neji shrugged, seeming close to smiling. " Honestly… I have no idea." The boy's speech sounded a bit strange – after all, the brunette couldn't even hear it – but was very much understandable. " But I really hope he'll end up as happy as we are."

He smiled a bit, not giving a damn about his reputation as a bad ass at the moment. " Does that mean you've forgiven me about that interview?"

Neji glared, albeit half heartedly. " No. I still can't believe you jeopardized your career like that."

He grinned toothily. " Well, in that case…" He leaned down and kissed the brunette's neck, making the man shudder with pleasure. " … I guess I'll have to keep on trying."

And he did – all day long, actually.

* * *

Sakura sighed heavily while walking through the hallways of her school.

Gosh, how was she ever going to make it through a biology test if her head was in a mess like this?

_I'm never going to be a doctor, am I?_

Just then she gasped loudly when colliding with someone. The books she'd been carrying were sent flying, most likely hitting the unfortunate person she'd ran into.

She blushed a little. " I'm so sorry! I wasn't…" Looking up, she lost absolutely all words when meeting a boy with black eyes and equally dark hair on a pot-like haircut. In some other situation she might not have even noticed him, but now… What on earth was wrong with her chest?

The man smiled radiantly, offering a hand as well her dropped books he'd gathered. " Well hello – my name is Lee. It truly is a pleasure to meet you."

(She failed her exam, but surprisingly enough she didn't even care.)

* * *

In less than twenty-four hours Naruto was shivering violently while approaching a huge building he'd known quite well only some years ago.

_Konoha ranch_, he mused. _It's been a while, huh?_

He had to gather his courage for the longest time before he managed to walk all the way to the building's door and knocked.

After a couple of moments Kakashi – who hadn't changed the slightest – showed up to open the door. The man blinked a couple of times. " Well how about this!" the silver haired stated. " Gosh, you've grown up!"

About a million words drifted through his mind, but he only managed to wheeze one. " Please…" He then swallowed hard, managing to gather a little bit of courage. " Sakura… told me that Sasuke will leave today. Tell me I'm not too late."

The man's eyes darkened, turned so sad that his heart broke to pieces in an instant. " Naruto… I'm sorry, but… There was a change of plans. He left yesterday."  
His eyes widened with disbelief, and filled with a burning sensation.

So… he'd been late, after all?

He clenched his fists.

_Damnit, Sasuke…_

Seeming to notice his distress, Kakashi motioned with his hand. " You've come a long way – come inside, will you? Maybe we can do some catching up…"

During the next two hours he found out that Sasuke hadn't had it easy – there'd been a lot of recovering to do and several relapses, but at the moment Kakashi was fairly sure the raven was almost all right. The Uchiha had also done something that'd required a lot of bravery – agreed to testify against Gatô in the man's still ongoing trial. That's why the raven had left. He'd been sent to witness protection – to where, no one knew, and the Uchiha had been strictly forbidden from contacting anyone.

Naruto felt discouraged when facts started to sink in. " When…is he coming back?"

Kakashi sighed. " I don't know. As soon as he's been given permission to, I suppose." The man then smiled a bit. " Don't look so disheartened, Naruto. I know you'll find him."

He frowned. " How can you be so sure?"

The man's expression was wistful. " Because I know you. You won't give up until you have."

Very slowly he melted into a huge grin. " Thanks." He then winced a bit. " 'Sorry I came here unannounced. I hope I didn't bother you."

The man waved a hand dismissively. " You're always welcome. Besides, Yamato's doing shopping and there are no kids here this time of a year, so I was getting bored, anyway."

He nodded, feeling warm. " Thanks." He then started to leave. " I should get going."

Kakashi nodded, seeming to understand. " Good luck. And remember that you can come and visit anytime."

They said quite long byes. His eyes flamed once he left, filled with newfound determination.

He didn't care if he'd have to search through the entire world – he'd find Sasuke, no matter what it'd take. After all, he had a promise to keep.

-

Kakashi smiled faintly while watching the Uzumaki go – where, he had no idea, and he had a bad feeling neither did the younger man.

" Good luck, Naruto", he murmured. " He really needs you."

* * *

/ **One And A Half Year Later.** /

* * *

Considering the average temperatures, Madrid was unusually hot while Naruto made his way through the dusty streets, his eyes darting around as though he'd been looking for someone.

For some reason he'd felt anxious ever since he and the rest of the band had set foot in Spain two days earlier. He wondered if the feeling meant his long, hopeless search was finally nearing its end…

He blinked a bit when that thought vanished, realizing that he'd ended up at an extremely shady looking bar.

_What the hell am I doing here?_

He got his answer only moments later, because just then he noticed a much too familiar man sitting at a nearby table, appearing oblivious to all the people harassing him.

Sasuke's hair had grown and there was something… different about the man, but Naruto's heart knew nonetheless. And therefore he was moving faster than he could think. He ignored the admiring glances women and even some men gave him while he pushed his way towards the raven.

" You know…" Sasuke stiffened a bit when hearing his voice. " I've been looking for you in about million places, but I would've never imagined finding you in a rat hole like this."

Very slowly, Sasuke's head turned. For just a moment he could see disbelief while the man stared at him. " Naruto?" the raven finally managed. It didn't take a lot to notice just how drunk the Uchiha was.

He nodded, finding himself smiling although seeing Sasuke like this hurt him. " Yeah." Then, without giving it any further thought, he moved and scooped the raven into his arms. He couldn't help noticing that the other still felt unhealthily thin.

The raven struggled furiously for a moment, but in the end stopped when realizing that the efforts weren't paying off and settled with glaring at him. " What do you think you're doing?"

He shrugged. " Getting you out of here", he stated simply. " Now… Where's your hotel?"

There was no response and he looked down, feeling mildly alarmed. He shook his head with a slight, sad smile when discovering that the raven had fallen asleep or passed out against him.

He sighed. " My hotel it is, then."

-

Naruto, who'd been sitting on the bed holding Sasuke's hand, had almost fallen asleep himself until being alarmed by a mew of discomfort. Looking down, he found Sasuke waking up slowly. " Feeling any more sober?"

" Hmph." The raven then frowned, looking around. " Where are we?"

" In my hotel room. I took you here because I didn't know where you're staying."

The Uchiha nodded and pushed himself into a sitting position, then frowned again when looking at him. " How… did you find me?"

He grinned. " Honestly, I have no idea. I suppose fate really wants us to find each other." The grin spread to a smile. " I still can't believe you're here!"

Sasuke swatted his head gently. " Does this feel like an illusion, dobe?"

At that moment he lost absolutely all control. He felt hot, intoxicated, and he was fairly sure some tears of joy escaped while he wrapped his arms tightly, almost possessively, around the raven, holding on with all his might to make sure the other wouldn't run away this time around. " I missed you", he murmured while trailing heated kisses down the other's neck. " I missed you so damn much, teme."

Did Sasuke just gasp? " Hn."

He knew they should've talked – gosh, there were so many unsorted issues between them! But his urges took the best of his reason.

After that they got lost into a world of their own. Everything spun before his eyes while their clothes flew and touches became so hot that in the end he could barely take it.

_Gosh, I've missed this so much!_

That night he gave his very all, determined to make sure that Sasuke wouldn't disappear from him once the night was over.

* * *

The next morning in Kiyoto, Shikamaru wasn't sure if he wanted to growl with frustration or laugh when he was all but dragging along Hikari – his almost two years old daughter who had his hair and his fiancée's, Temari's, teal colored eyes. " Look, I know you hate this, but mom and dad have to work, okay? Besides, it's only just for a few hours."

The girl pouted. " Still 'on't like this."

He sighed, rolling his eyes skywards. " Have I ever told you that you that you have your mother's temper?" He then noticed a daycare center on the other side of the road and sighed with utter relief. " Thank heavens… Now let's go, kiddo."

In less than a minute they made it to the building's yard. Almost instantly a boy who seemed slightly older than Hikari with black hair and disturbingly familiar blue eyes rushed over to them. " Are you the new one?"

Both Hikari and Shikamaru nodded. " I… was kinda hoping I could talk to the manager of this place", he explained.

Suddenly came a female voice he knew much too well. " Aki, how many times do I have to tell you not to run away?"

The boy grinned slightly sheepishly. " 'orry, mom."

Aki's mother then appeared to view – and Shikamaru felt his heart turn into ice.

Yes, she'd cut her hair and grown up, but it still wasn't hard to recognize her.

Fair enough, Ino didn't seem any less shocked than he did. She swallowed laboriously before speaking. " Shikamaru…?"

Already then, he knew something with disheartening certainty.

_I'm screwed._

* * *

Back in Madrid, Naruto frowned when waking up, feeling a little bit too cold for it to be comfortable. It took a moment before memories of the night before started to sink in, causing his heart to jump violently.

His hand moved, looking for warmth. " Sasuke…?"

His eyes flew open when his fumbling touches met nothing but a piece of paper. His heart knotted into a painful, tight ball. Again, he'd been left with nothing but a message.

Although he knew he was torturing himself, he took the paper sheet with a trembling hand and read the few words written on it.

' _I'm sorry dobe, but timing doesn't seem to be on our side. I hope you'll understand one day. Until then, I want you to have this._

_S_ '

It wasn't until then he noticed a tiny paper crane that'd been left close to the message – the plainest possible gift of goodbye.

He gasped, feeling ready to cry and scream but not managing to get anything out.

So he'd failed – _again_. Sasuke was far from his reach once more.

He buried his face into both hands.

* * *

/ **Three Years Later.** /

* * *

In a hospital in Tokyo, screams rang in the hallways while Sakura suffered the worst pains in her entire life.

A rather young midwife with black hair and gentle, almost golden eyes tried to smile at her comfortingly. " Just a little more. The baby's just about out."

She felt ready to kill. " I'm… almost a doctor… myself… so I know, okay? Don't make me… hurt you…!

A somewhat unsteady hand squeezed hers. " S – Sakura, look… There's no need to threaten anyone, okay?" Lee seemed alarmingly pale while staring at all the blood appeared. " Just push, okay?"

Her eyes narrowed to slits. " Do you honestly want me to hurt you… _that_ badly?"

The midwife spared Lee from a horrifying fate with speaking. " Okay, we're almost through! Just one more strong push, okay?"

And push she did, although she felt like she'd been torn to shreds. Her scream didn't subside until she heard another one – quiet, yet enough to catch her all.

The midwife grinned brightly while holding the newborn. " Congratulations. You've got a beautiful, healthy baby boy."

There was a loud thud as Lee finally gave in and fainted.

* * *

Although he'd already been in a band that traveled a lot for a while, Naruto still hated flying more than anything else concerning his career of choice. All the confined space, not to mention that his ears and head always hurt unbearably for the entire flight…

And this time, an hour after he'd met Sakura's son, he was even late. The rest of the band had already made it well past the airport's gates while he dashed forth, managing to hit several people with his huge bag. " Coming through, coming through…"

_This is unbelievable. I can't believe I…_

All his thoughts, however, became washed away when he noticed something that made him halt as though he'd ran into a wall. His heart started to hammer while he blinked a few times. The sight remained.

Familiar black hair, those same dark eyes… Pretty much nothing had changed.

At that thought tried to run, but became blocked by masses of people.

" Sasuke!" He was all but screaming now, but his voice still wasn't strong enough to carry far. The further Sasuke got, the more his eyes started to sting. " SAS…!" Then, all words got stuck in his throat and he froze completely at what he saw.

From the airport's tiny playground – where parents who'd had enough of screaming could leave their young – a girl who couldn't possibly be older than three sprinted to Sasuke, long black hair billowing behind her. A squeal of delight could be heard even to where he was standing. " Daddy!" The girl wrapped her arms tightly around Sasuke. " Let's go!"

As he kept watching, his eyes widened with disbelief, Sasuke melted into a smile while picking up the child and holding her close. " Hold your horses. I don't have as much energy as you do."  
Naruto couldn't move, could barely breathe, while watching Sasuke disappear with the girl – his _daughter_ – through a gate that'd lead to a location he didn't even know. He felt so cold that it was hard to breathe and he gasped, something warm trickling to his cheeks.

Had… Had he really been _this_ late? Had he been searching for so long that he'd lost his last chance?

He barely heard the last call for his flight.

* * *

/ **Six Months Later.** /

* * *

It was New Year's Eve, and Paris was incredibly beautiful. But to Naruto, who was trying to prepare himself for the upcoming concert, that didn't mean a thing.

He barely caught the voices of his band mates. " This is about Sasuke again, right?" Chouji suspected.

" Yup", Kankuro confirmed. " He's been like that all day."

He jumped with fright when suddenly feeling a hand on his shoulder. Peering behind him, he blinked when discovering Gaara. " What's up?" was all he could come up with.

The man sighed. " Naruto, this has gone too far."

He faked a grin. " What are you talking about? I'm fine!"

" Naruto, for crying out loud!" the redhead all but snarled. " It's been…What, six and a half years already! And I can tell it's killing you."

He snorted. " Then what am I supposed to do? Keep pining over a guy who's got a brand new life?" He looked downwards, feeling sick to his stomach and a huge lump forming in his throat. " He… He doesn't need me anymore, Gaara."

The man snorted. " How are you supposed to know that without asking him?"

He frowned. " How could I ask? I mean… I have no idea where he is."

A wistful look rose to the redhead's face. " You know… I think there may actually be a way." The man waited for a second. " You remember that song you wrote, right?"

His eyes widened. " You've gotta be kidding me!" Something close to terror filled him. " You can't make me do that!"

Gaara shook his head mercilessly. " Either you do that, or you're out of the band. It's your choice."

He stared with incredulity for a while, then pouted and folded his arms, heart thumping. " You're a real bastard sometimes, you know?"

The redhead shrugged. " Yeah, and I'm proud of it. Now let's go – we're late as it is."

* * *

Naruto's heart thumped while he stood on a platform not too far away from Gaara, much too aware of what would happen soon.

He would've wanted to stretch the first songs forever, but eventually the inevitable occurred. Once a thunder of applauds had faded Gaara grabbed a microphone and spoke. " Thank you so much! Now, to an amazing audience like you we have something very special…" The redhead looked straight at him. " For the very first time our guitarist Naruto presents a song of his own. Give him a big hand!"

While the audience cheered he shot a glare towards the redhead, then walked up to the microphone, his legs trembling pathetically. He swallowed hard before finding his voice. " I… wrote this to someone very special." He took a deep breath, managing to produce a wobbly grin. " I hope you like it."

In a matter of moments music started. It took absolutely all his courage, but as though by some miracle he managed to raise his voice.

' _I was cut and bruised,_

_Tired of being sad and confused,_

_Waiting for a chance to try my own wings,_

_But dreams are deceiving,_

_Always misleading,_

_Now all I want is to get back to the beginning_'

He was still horrified, more scared than ever in his life, but he was also sternly determined.

So what if he made a fool of himself with this ridiculous song? If Sasuke would hear it, and believe him… Maybe it was worth it.

' '_Cause there's always that one piece missing,_

_The ache will never stop reminding,_

_It's like a cry in the night,_

_A call in the dark,_

_Now my eyes are wide open,_

_And I'm right here waiting,_

_If you'll ever let yourself see,_

_That our fates were already sealed_'

He had to gasp a little, and he hoped dearly no one from the audience caught it. He squinted his eyes when bright lights and something else made them sting.

He could've never imagined this to be _this_ hard.

' _Always thought I knew what I wanted,_

'_Was so sure of what I needed,_

_But how am I supposed to stand here smiling,_

_Knowing I lost something well worth fighting for,_

_Now the world is burning,_

_But I still keep hoping,_

_That fate keeps bringing you back to me_'

He closed his eyes, and could almost imagine Sasuke's face. That made it possible for him to keep going.

' '_Cause there's always that one piece missing,_

_The ache will never stop reminding,_

_It's like a cry in the night,_

_A call in the dark,_

_Now my eyes are wide open,_

_And I'm right here waiting,_

_If you'll ever let yourself see,_

_That our fates were already sealed_'

By then he was already lost in a world of his own, just like always when something included Sasuke. He couldn't even bring himself to care if his voice crackled.

' _Now I'm fumbling for words,_

_As though I'd been cursed,_

'_Cause no phrase could ever say,_

_What it is you stole away,_

_I'm trying to tell you I'm sorry,_

_And I wish you would stop running,_

_We both know there's only one way to stop the world from swaying_'

He shivered, knowing that the song would be over soon. After this it'd all be up to Sasuke.

Suddenly the terror from before returned, magnified tenfold and accompanied by a huge tug of pain. Hot lights dried the one tear that escaped.

' '_Cause there's always that one piece missing,_

_The ache will never stop reminding,_

_(It's your face that I keep seeing)_

_It's like a cry in the night,_

_A call in the dark,_

_(Here on the highest cliff I keep screaming your name)_

_Now my eyes are wide open,_

_And I'm right here waiting,_

_('Cause I still haven't given up fighting)_

_If you'll ever let yourself see,_

_That our fates were already sealed_

_(It's time to stop falling apart_

_And go right back to the start)_'

The music continued for just a couple of moments, with him standing there on the verge of tears and shivering like a leaf. Once it ended the audience exploded into applauds that sounded like thunder.

He, however, never heard it.

As soon as he could move he spun around and ran away as fast as he could, speeding away from the pain and nausea swelling steadily inside him.

* * *

While heading back towards their hotel with Gaara, Neji found himself frowning ever so slightly, a dark feeling swelling up in the pit of his stomach.

Eventually he just had to speak out. " You've acting strangely all day", he pointed out, glancing towards the redhead. " What's wrong?"

Something he didn't recall seeing before flashed upon the other's face. " There's… something we need to talk about, and… I'm not sure how you'll react."

He frowned, not liking those words at all. He would've demanded answers, but Gaara's expression told that the man wouldn't say a word until they'd be alone.

The rest of the journey to their hotel seemed to take forever. When they were stood behind the door of their room, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. " Gaara, what the heck is going on?" Even without hearing, he knew he must've sounded anxious, terrified. " If I've…"

Just then the redhead pushed the door open, and all his capability to speak disappeared while his eyes filled with embarrassingly open bafflement.

The room… was completely filled with candles and flower petals. Flashes of the first fireworks enthroned the magical sight.

He gasped uncharacteristically, his eyes widening. " Gaara…"

His head was spinning badly while the redhead stood before him with an extremely nervous expression, then revealed something with a badly trembling hand. It was a breathtakingly beautiful ring that carried yellow and white gold. " I… love you, Neji. And… I'd like to spend my life with you." The man looked at him straight into eyes. " Do you… want the same?"

He replied with wrapping his arms tightly around the redhead and sealing the man into a fiery kiss that left no room for doubt.

* * *

Elsewhere in Paris, Naruto walked through the streets without paying too much attention to what he was doing.

No, performing the song hadn't made him feel the slightest bit better. He didn't know what he'd been expecting – a miracle, perhaps – but right now he felt like a huge idiot.

He muttered insults to no one in particular – perhaps mostly to himself – while finally standing to the edge of Seine. " Stupid Gaara… I can't believe he managed to talk me into making a fool of myself…"

Just then he felt extremely cold shivers that forced him to gasp. Only a second later he heard steps that stopped somewhere on his right.

After giving it a little thought and feeling a strange urge deep inside him, he turned around. His blue eyes widened with shock at what, or rather who, he found. " S – Sasuke?"

He fully expected the visage to disappear, but nothing such happened. Instead the raven arched an eyebrow. " So this is where you went to after putting up such a show."

He moved, still too much in a daze to be able to tell whether this was real or not. He blinked, starting to feel a bit dizzy. " What… How…?"

The raven's eyes seemed to soften, although it might've been a trick caused by the lights. " The same way you always find me, I guess."

He could only nod.

They stood in silence from then, watching the landscape spreading around them, neither knowing how to proceed. Naruto would've wanted to touch the raven with every single cell there was in his body, but some reasonable part of his brain protested against the motion.

They'd spent so many endless years apart, but… There were too many question marks lingering.

In the end his voice agreed to work, although pathetically weakly. " Why… Why did you leave me?" It was what he'd wanted to ask ever since Madrid, but hadn't found the courage to. He glanced towards the raven, feeling pained all of a sudden. " Why did you walk away?"

Sasuke's eyes darkened. " It's… complicated." The raven sighed. " There was… too much of a mess I didn't want to drag you into."

He felt a sharp twinge. " Including your family – your daughter?"

The Uchiha seemed mildly surprised when looking at him. " What?"

He sighed. " Look… I saw you, six months ago." He swallowed thickly. " I saw her. I know you've started a new life, so there's no need for any crap, okay?" Gosh, it hurt so much to say those words, but he knew it needed to be done – for both their sakes.

For a while Sasuke looked at him with what seemed like bafflement, then smiled faintly, which was something he'd seen barely ever. " I can't believe this…" The man waited for a couple of seconds that felt endless to him before continuing. " Look…Technically Amaya is my daughter, that's true. But her mother isn't a part of my life."

He frowned, completely lost. " What are you talking about?"

" I took her under my wing about a year after Madrid. Her mother – I think her name was Karin – was working for Orochimaru and got killed. I decided that it was time for me to do something useful with my life, so I started to look after the child." He couldn't help noticing how warm the raven's voice was while the man talked about the girl and shrugged. " I guess we've helped each other."

He kept his silence for the longest time, hardly daring to believe. " So… You haven't…" _You haven't found someone to replace me, after all._

Sasuke snorted, and surprised them both with taking his hand. " Idiot." It came out so softly that the true meaning behind the word could easily be heard.

At that moment he made his decision. " Let's go", he decided. " My ass is freezing out here." He then came to think of something. " When we get to the hotel I've… gotta make a phone call, okay?" He glared at the Uchiha. " Don't you dare disappear in the meantime."

* * *

In Kyoto, Shikamaru turned off the TV and grinned widely once the recording of Naruto's latest concert ended. " Damn, he's good! Right, kiddo?" There was no response, and once looking down he smiled when discovering that Hikari had fallen asleep. " 'Told you that'd happen."

Less than ten minutes later he'd carried his daughter to bed and felt unbearably cold all of a sudden. The house was eerily quiet with Temari having traveled abroad – for a business trip, and to rethink their relationship, he knew. (They'd had quite a fight over the issue of getting married and his fear of commitment. It'd escalated to the point where Temari had walked out and told him to call her when he made his decision.)

He sighed heavily, fumbling through his pockets and finally finding his cell phone. He searched through the numbers put to his list mindlessly, and blinked at the name to which he stopped.

_Ino?_

/ _" Look… I know it's been years, and I barely kept my promise of calling you, but… I still consider you a friend, so if you want to talk, just call me."_ /

He groaned, his eyes squinting. It looked like had two options. " Troublesome…"

In the end, with him being inspired by Naruto's performance, making the decision was easier than he could've ever imagined.

Quite soon there was a response. He cleared his throat before speaking. " It's me." He hesitated uncharacteristically. " Look…We need to talk."

* * *

In Tokyo, Hinata was so deep in thought while finishing her newest composition that she jumped with fright when her cell phone started to ring. She cleared her throat before managing to answer. " Y-Yeah?" She winced at her tone. She sounded exactly like she had about six years earlier.

" _It's me._" She recognized Naruto's voice immediately, although he sounded… strange, to say the least. " _Look… I know we were supposed to talk about that new song tomorrow, but… Something came up._"

She clicked in an instant, and felt a huge bang of happiness for the man, as well as some envy. " Sasuke related?"

" _Yeah._" The Uzumaki sounded overjoyed, yet anxious – it was obvious he was in a hurry. " _So… Is it okay if we postpone the meeting a bit?_"

She smiled faintly. " Of course it is. Have fun, and make sure he doesn't leave you again."

" _Thank you!_" Naruto sounded as excited as a child. " _You're the best songwriter! Bye!_"  
She rolled her eyes with a slight smile. " Bye. And have a happy New Year." She wasn't sure if he even listened before hanging up.

She sighed quietly while putting her phone away, unable to chase to away the distant longing building up in her chest.

It was good to know that at least someone wouldn't be greeting the soon beginning year alone.

Her thoughts were cut once more when her cell phone rang again. This time she smiled when discovering who the caller was. " Hey, sweetie. What's wrong?"

" _I wanted to hear your voice_", a very young child's tired voice explained. " _'Come home._"

Her smile widened. " I will, Kaori, soon. But you need to go to bed, okay?"

" '_K._" The girl sounded disappointed. " _'Love you, mommy. Happy New Year!_"

" Love you too. Have a great new year." She made a kissing sound. " Goodnight."

As soon as the phone call was over she sighed, sinking into her thoughts.

It was less than a month after Haku's death she'd discovered she was pregnant. The following months had been the longest ones in her entire life, but now she knew every time when looking at her daughter – who looked exactly like her father – that it'd all been worth it. At least she now had something to remember Haku by.

She then shook her head, and refocused her eyes to the paper before her that carried a huge number of notes. Only the very last note was still missing. A small, extremely sad smile appeared when she brushed the composition's name gently with her fingertips.

' _Tribute To Fireworks And Great White._' (1)

She swallowed thickly, and despite all the years passed her eyes almost flooded over while she closed them. " I miss you two", she whispered in a choked tone, meaning it from the bottom of her heart. " I miss you so much. I haven't forgotten."

Although it was practically impossible, she could almost swear she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She forced on some composure when there was a knock on her office's door. " What is it?"

Her assistant – Matsuri – peered in. " I'm going home now. That new cellist – Kiba – is waiting on for you to call him. He sounded pretty agitated."

She rolled her eyes. _Musicians…_ " Okay, I'll talk to him. Go home – you're already overworking as it is."

Matsuri nodded. " Have a great New Year."

She forced a smile. " You too."

Little did she know that her life was just about to take a dramatic turn…

(It was nine and a half years later she finally agreed to go on a date with Kiba. That day a new leaf was turned.)

* * *

Back in Paris, Naruto entered the room into which he'd left Sasuke cautiously, afraid of what he'd find. He suppressed a sigh of relief when discovering that the raven was really still there, looking out a window.

Unable to hold himself back for another second he walked up to the Uchiha, rested his forehead against the man's shoulder and took the other's hand tightly, almost desperately. Sasuke shuddered at first, but soon enough relaxed and accepted his hold.

He blinked, then closed his eyes and opened them again. " This is a dream, right?" he murmured in a broken tone. " I'm going to wake up soon, and you've disappeared again."

Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes. " You really are a dobe."

His hold on the raven's hand tightened still the exact same second a shower of rockets lit up the darkened sky. A tiny snort escaped him. " Can you blame me? You're always slipping away from me." His eyebrows furrowed. " What have you been doing all this time, anyway?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment. " I… needed something to distract myself with, so I started photographing. They paid me surprisingly well, and I've traveled a lot. It was good while it lasted." He gasped when the man moved all of a sudden, wrapping a pair of arms tightly – tenderly – around him, pulling him into a breath catching embrace. " But… I'm done running now, Naruto", the Uchiha murmured, burying his face into his chest uncharacteristically.

He swallowed thickly, holding on to the raven as tightly as humanly possible. " Really?"

" Hn."

Nothing more needed to be said. He smiled radiantly while they stood there holding each other. The lights of rockets flashed in his moist eyes.

At the moment he didn't even care if this was a dream. All he knew that he wasn't about to let go anytime soon.

They'd wasted six and a half years already. It was time to make the most of this.

* * *

/ **Nine Years Later.** /

* * *

To Sasuke, it felt painful to open up all the wounds that were torn wide when he entered a cemetery not too far away from Konoha. He winced at the screech a rusty gate made, then started to saunter through a snowy path, wondering if he'd manage to find the right tombstone amongst all the endless looking rows.

In the end it was his heart that led him, and to his bafflement he found himself stood before a much too familiar tombstone only a couple of minutes later. It was at that moment the little bit of courage and composure he'd managed to gain flew away, leaving him feeling cold and numb.

He was too deep in thought to wonder why his voice sounded as scratchy as it did when he started to speak. His hand trembled barely traceably while he placed a candle to the ground. " I… know it's been years, but… I hope you don't mind me being late too badly – you know I've never been good at stuff like this." Only silence answered him, and he grit his teeth to keep himself from wincing. He gathered himself for a while before going on. " I just… wanted to come and wish you a happy New Year. And… to let you know that I'm happy, although it still hurts sometimes. I think I've finally managed to let go of all those shadows." He chuckled dryly. " I guess you were right after all. I am stronger than I thought I was."

He brushed the name engraved to the stone softly, affectionately.

_Itachi Uchiha_

His eyes softened, but for once he wasn't ashamed of it. " I miss you, I hope you know that. And… I'm not mad at you anymore." He dared to smile a little, although tears would've wanted to come. " I… wish you could've met Amaya, and learned to know Naruto better. But… Somehow I have a feeling that you're still around." He licked his lips, finding his throat impossibly dry. This was the most he'd ever spoken at one go. " I should go – Naruto's already waiting for me. I'll come back again, and I promise it won't take this long."

He opened his mouth once more, only to realize that he'd ran out of words already. The most important things had been said, and he had a feeling he'd been heard.

Something that felt almost like peace settled into his chest when he turned around and started to walk away, finally having said goodbye to all the shadows that'd been lingering in the back of his head.

Had he looked over his shoulder, he would've seen what looked like three figures that stood by a tree not too far away. With just one mighty blow of wind they were gone.

When he got out of the cemetery, he found Naruto waiting for him, leaning against a car. The man gave him a worried look. " Everything okay?"

He nodded, actually meaning it, and didn't fight back when the other held him. " Let's go."

* * *

Meanwhile in Konoha Ino smiled a little when looking around in a room that'd once upon a time been hers. Although several kids must've inhabited the place since, it was still so much like back then that it felt like time had stopped.

" Spooky, huh?" She jumped a little when hearing Shikamaru's voice, then turned around. " This place hasn't changed a bit. I'm not sure if that's adorable or terrifying."

She couldn't help smiling, although ache she was already familiar with appeared. " I'm starting to lean towards adorable."

For a while silence lingered – because they sunk into thoughts or ran out of things to say, neither knew. In the end Shikamaru spoke. " So… Are you ready?"

She nodded a bit, although in all honesty she wasn't entirely sure. " Though nervous." It was ridiculously embarrassing to admit that. " I haven't done this since Sai – I… have no idea of how this works anymore."

Shikamaru shrugged. " It'll go fine, trust me. That guy can't possibly be immune to that perfume."

She felt like chuckling, although the pain inside intensified. " Thanks."

The brunette made a nonchalant gesture. " 'Just what friends do." The man then started to leave. " I'll go before Temari gets all worked up. Good luck."

She was too breathless to respond.

Once he'd left she gave a deep sigh, closing her eyes.

Yet again, it was almost impossible for her to convince herself that she'd done the right thing, for both of them. That the thing she would've wanted the most would've never worked.

She then opened her eyes, a steely look of determination in them.

She couldn't get like this – she was a grownup now, not a teenager, so it was too late to base her life on 'what ifs'. It was time to move, just like Shikamaru had done.

With that thought she turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly after herself.

* * *

Just like all those years ago, Hinata stepped into a tiny room not too far away she and just one other person had known perfectly once upon a time. In an instant memories she would've rather kept buried flooded into her consciousness.

/ _" Bad day?"_ /

Gosh, she could still hear Haku's voice so clearly…!

/ _" Thank you, for sharing this."_ /

She'd expected returning to Konoha to be hard. But a pain like this… No, she'd never prepared herself for such.

" Mom?" Kaori's voice startled her. She wiped her eyes while hearing her daughter approach, only then noticing the tears she'd spilled. " Are you okay?"

She forced herself into smiling while turning to her daughter with a nod. " Yeah, honey. Just…" She lost her voice for a moment. " … thinking."

Kaori, always having been smart, knew immediately. " About dad?" When she didn't manage to react, the girl went on. " When are you going to tell me about him?"

She felt a heavy plunge of guilt tinged pain, but disguised it with a smile. " I will, one day, I promise." She gathered herself with a deep breath. " Now why don't you go to the other kids? The party will start soon."

With reluctance her daughter left.

As soon as she was alone, she turned her gaze to a nearby corner. For just a moment rays of sun created what looked like a familiar figure, but the visage disappeared soon after.

She gulped thickly. " I love you."

For a long time nothing happened. Then, so unexpectedly that she shuddered, something that felt like a cool brush touched her right hand. It was brief and light, but still enough to give reassurance.

This time, the smile she gave through almost spilling tears was a genuine one. She didn't feel alone anymore.

Finally she had the strength to walk downstairs to face the others.

* * *

About four hours later Konoha was filled with sounds of happy people while a familiar, expanded group gathered downstairs.

" Toshi!" Sakura all but snarled underneath the stairs, calling out to her son. " Leave poor Amaya and Aki alone, and get down here! We're about to start the celebration, with or without you!"

Shikamaru, who had his arms wrapped around Temari's visibly swollen waistline, snorted. " Are you supposed to make him come here or run for his life?"

Even Neji, who was sitting on a couch nearby, his legs resting on Gaara's lap, seemed amused. " I don't know, but she's scaring even me and I can't hear her."

Sakura glared at the two. " Very funny, guys."

There was a knock on the mansion's door while pretty much everyone laughed, and Sasuke got up, rolling his eyes. " I'll go. I need a break from this madness."

He wasn't all that surprised to find Ino standing behind the door with a sheepish expression. " Sorry I'm late. The date took longer than I expected."

He arched an eyebrow. " I take that as a good sign."

Ino shrugged while entering. " We'll see." She then winced when hearing Sakura's new set of shouts. " I hope Aki hasn't been causing trouble."

He snorted. " Not more than the rest of the lot. Though I think Naruto's going to blow up soon if Aki doesn't leave Amaya alone."

" Guys, c'mon!" Sure enough, that was Naruto. " We're getting started!"

He noticed how Ino stiffened when they entered the living room, and could immediately tell that it still wasn't entirely easy for her to see Shikamaru with someone else, no matter how hard she always said she was over him. Pretty soon, however, she managed to smile while joining the others, taking her seat beside Sakura, who was holding a baby girl, and Lee.

Just then a group of teenagers finally showed up, laughing and using nicknames they recognized very well on each other – Amaya, Kaori (who was still a perfect replica of Haku), Hikari (who was a mixture of Shikamaru and Temari), Taichi (who had Iruka's hair and Shizune's eyes) and finally Aki (who had his father's dark hair color and Sakura's eyes).

As soon as they'd all settled down both Kakashi and Yamato got up, with the silver haired's arms wrapped around the brunette. " Thank you all so much for coming. You were invited because you're the ones who lived here longest and left the deepest marks on this place, so we're happy to see you all again." Kakashi thought for a moment. " As you all know, we'll be heading for a little… journey in a matter of days", the man announced, glancing towards Sasuke and Naruto. " It's time for us old fools to leave Konoha into the hands of the next generation." The man lifted a glass of champagne. " I hate speeches, so… To new beginnings."

To that everyone joined gladly. While the toast had been taken care of a huge hassle started while Taichi tried to persuade Naruto – his brother and biggest idol – to play a guitar and sing, at least just one song, and pretty much everyone joined the commotion. Even Kakashi and Iruka smiled while observing the scene, stood side by side, old wounds obviously well healed.

While all those people – his friends, his family – laughed and had fun, all sorrows left behind for a while, Sasuke found himself melting into a smile.

He didn't believe in fairytales – he'd been through too much to be able to – and he knew there'd be rocky waters ahead. But maybe… Maybe none of them would have to go through whatever was to come all alone.

He shuddered with pleasure when feeling a hand on his shoulder. Peering backwards he met somewhat confused Naruto. " What's with the face?"

Hard as he tried, he couldn't fight off the smile from before while shaking his head and leaning closer to the blonde. His gaze strayed back to all the people around them. " Nothing", he murmured. " Absolutely nothing."

He didn't care about the future, he decided while feeling Naruto's arms wrap around him.

He had this moment, this perfect day. He actually had people who loved him – both he and Naruto did.

Right now they were home, and they were finally together. Wasn't that all that mattered?

* * *

_**Owari.**_

* * *

1) According to my information, Haku means 'white', and Hanabi means 'fireworks'. I thought that'd make a nice lil' tribute. (grins)

* * *

A/N: (sniffs and blows a nose) Sorry – this is an emotional moment. I can't believe this story is over already! (wipes eyes) I've enjoyed working on this so much!

You guys, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this, and especially for reviewing and listing! If it wasn't for you guys this one would've been shot down a long time ago. So THANK YOU! (HUGS, and prepares a huge set of special treats for you – all from cakes, doughnuts and pies to candies) You're incredible, you know?

I'm afraid it's time to say 'bye' for now – I really hope it's 'until next time' with most of you folks! (glances with hopeful eyes)

Take care, yeah?

* * *

**Rezi**: LOVE my story?! Gosh, thank you so much! (blushes)

Heh, I'm such an impatient person that I absolutely detest even the mere idea of making you poor guys wait. Hence I do my hardest with the updates. I'm beyond thrilled to hear you've liked the speed of updates! (grins)

Gigantic thank yous for the review – 'happy to hear you think I've done a good job with the story thus far! I really hope you'll find the epilogue worth the wait.

-

**lalala**: Gah, I seriously can't blame you for being wary of the summary! Mixing the prospect of Konoha and a ranch… (makes a face) It's a weird thought, to say the least, and I hesitated for the longest time before posting this. BUT, I'm so glad you gave this a chance, and didn't regret it! (smiles radiantly) I indeed decided to give the most room to drama. What can I say? I'm an incurable angst/drama fan. (grins)

Gosh, thank you so much for the absolutely astonishing review – you can't even imagine how much it warms my heart to hear you actually love my writing, and like this ficcy! I really hope you'll enjoy the epilogue just as much.


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